Two Worlds Collide
by Brisingr364
Summary: Arthur and Merlin continue to run into each other so often it seems like fate when they do finally get together. But when Uther's plans for Arthur become known, can Arthur and Merlin stay together or will it tear them apart? Totally Merthur, modern au
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses. **

* * *

Merlin stepped onto the underground, on time for once, and looked around for a seat. His shoulders slumped slightly when he realized that, despite being on time, the car was just as full as ever and he was forced to stand. Shrugging, Merlin rummaged in his messenger bag for his textbook to study during the ride. After a couple minutes, he heard the doors start to close and moved to the side so he wouldn't accidentally get caught when they did. He'd just gotten resettled with his book when a burst of air flipped a few pages and he looked up to see someone lean against the bars and sigh. Merlin smiled to himself, thinking, _he made it just in time._

He didn't realize he had spoken until the guy looked round. Then he realized what he'd said and hurriedly continued, trying not to make it awkward. The guy opposite him was handsome with his short blond hair mussed from the wind and gorgeous blue eyes that were now staring directly at him with a hint of confusion in them. He was fit, too, and wearing a suit that made Merlin wonder what he looked like in casual clothing. He'd love to find out, but now it was getting uncomfortable, and, oh, crap, if he kept talking, he was sure to babble and the guy wasn't saying anything so maybe it was better if he just returned to his studying…and now even his thoughts were rambling on, great. Merlin turned back to his book, trying to hide his embarrassment.

* * *

Arthur swore under his breath, running through the station to try to make it to the train before the doors closed on him. Featuring prominently in his swearing was his younger sister, Morgana. He loved her, he really did, but she drove him absolutely crazy sometimes. Why she felt the need to come over last night instead of calling to whine about being dumped again was beyond him. All he knew was that he'd slept through his alarm, which was why he was now dodging and bumping people as he ran, leaving them yelling and swearing behind him. He honestly didn't care who Morgana dated, as long as it wasn't one of his friends because that would be just too awkward.

The train was just up ahead. Arthur managed to slip through the train doors before they slammed shut and breathed a sigh of relief.

"You made it just in time."

Arthur looked around to find a dark-haired man about the same age as him- so about mid-twenties -standing on the opposite side of the doors from him, looking at him.

"I've had to jump through the doors more than once so I can sympathize," the other man continued, then abruptly turned back to flip through the pages of his book. Arthur just stared at him.

Nobody talked to each other on the underground, it's kind of an unspoken rule that nobody wants to know anybody's business, but this guy…Arthur studied him. Most people just stare out the windows or sleep, but he was looking at a book, flipping through the pages. He was handsome, but quieter about it. Maybe he wasn't aware that he was so he didn't try to flaunt it as others did. Arthur wasn't quite sure what that meant but it sounded right so he went with it. The guy had short black hair that looked like he'd run his fingers through it almost continually and it covered his eyes so Arthur couldn't see what color they were. He had pale skin, like he didn't spend much time in the sun, but his cheekbones stuck out, making him seem even more handsome to Arthur. He was thinner than Arthur, wearing jeans and a hoodie and had a messenger bag to go along with the book-nerd look.

"My sister made me late, usually I'm on the train by now," Arthur suddenly answered him.

The guy looked up, surprised. "What did she do to make you late?"

Arthur shrugged. "Her latest beau. Honestly, my sister cannot keep a boyfriend to save her life and then she expects me to fix it. Just like always." He stuck his hand out. "I'm Arthur, by the way. Arthur Pendragon."

* * *

Merlin studied him, wondering why he was suddenly being so friendly after completely ignoring him just a moment ago and why he said his name like Merlin should know it, but decided there was no harm in introducing himself. He stuck a finger in his book to mark his page and shook Arthur's hand. "Merlin Emrys."

"That's an interesting name."

Merlin shrugged. "Yeah, well, Mum was a fan of the whole Arthurian legend thing so that's what I grew up with. Doesn't bother me anymore; in fact, it's a big help in my classes."

"Oh, cool. So, what are you reading?" Arthur inquired.

"Not reading; studying."

Arthur blinked. "Okay, what are you studying, then?" How was it that Merlin didn't immediately know his whole history like everyone else did who learned his last name? It intrigued him; he wanted to know more about him.

Merlin smiled at the altered question. "Romantics. I have a test this afternoon." He laughed fully at Arthur's utter confusion. "Authors, usually poets, writing during the Romantic period in British literature."

Comprehension dawned. "So you're an English student at university?" Arthur asked.

Merlin nodded. "Going for my master's, actually."

"Cool. I would impress you with my knowledge, but I really have no idea who any of those authors would be, let alone what the Romantic period is," Arthur said sheepishly.

"No problem. Not many people do." Merlin didn't explain any further but waited to see if Arthur was going to want to continue talking. It's not like he didn't know this stuff by now but it helped to refresh his memory before class. But he kind of wanted to keep talking with Arthur.

Arthur shuffled his feet, wondering what to say next. It was obvious that that topic had been exhausted and he honestly didn't know if he wanted to keep talking or just stare. Merlin solved that problem. "Does your sister live with you? Is that why she made you late?"

Arthur laughed. "No. Thankfully, Morgana's got her own place. She just got dumped last night and decided I had to know every single freaking detail of their entire relationship and then make her feel better even though I really don't care and she knows it. Do you have siblings?"

Merlin shook his head, amused at the description of Morgana. "Only child."

Arthur informed him, "Consider yourself lucky. Siblings are a pain in the ass, trust me."

Merlin smiled. "She can't be that bad. I'm sure you get along some-"

Arthur sighed as his mobile phone rang, interrupting Merlin. "Sorry, but I have to take this."

"It's no problem," Merlin replied. "I should get back to studying, anyway."

Oddly enough, Arthur thought Merlin sounded slightly disappointed as he pulled out his mobile. He sighed as he recognized the name flashing on the screen. "Morgana, I'm on the tube, do you really need to talk right now?...Yes, I understand, but can't you…No…_No_…I said, no, Morgana and I meant it…Look, I can't do this now…Father's expecting me for the… You'll be fine, it's not the end of the…really...Why don't you call Gwen and see if she…Great… Let's all have dinner tonight, say, six…Text me which restaurant… I'll meet you guys there...No, I'm not paying. You are perfectly capable of paying for your own…yes…I'll see you tonight…Fine…Bye." He hung up, thoroughly annoyed. "I hate my life," he muttered, glancing over at Merlin when he laughed softly.

Merlin said, "Sounds like you have a fun evening planned."

Arthur sighed. He seemed to be doing that a lot today. "At least Gwen will be along to help distract her. She's Morgana's closest friend."

The conductor spoke up then, effectively silencing them, announcing the next stop. Merlin closed his book and shoved it in his bag. It was too bad that his stop had arrived. He'd been enjoying talking to Arthur, despite his friends' warnings not to talk to people on the underground. Seriously, Merlin thought, not everyone was a creep and besides, how would he make friends if he never talked to anybody?

Arthur frowned. "This is your stop?"

Merlin looked up through his lashes and Arthur's heart skipped a beat. His eyes were a beautiful deep blue, he realized, distracting him for a moment and he missed most of what Merlin said.

"…catch a taxi from here."

Arthur mentally shook his head. "Oh, okay." The train slid to a stop in the station and the doors opened with a burst of compressed air. As Merlin stepped out, Arthur called out, "Good luck on your test!"

Merlin turned around and smiled at him. Arthur's heart skipped a beat again. "Thanks, and good luck with your sister!"

Arthur smiled back as the doors closed and the train started up again. Today was turning out better than he'd thought it would, despite the fact that it was a Monday.

* * *

**Author's Note**: This is my first Merlin fanfic, and I actually got the idea from a picture that popped up on facebook. Bear with me because it starts a little slow, but it is already finished (because I don't post stories until they're fully written in Microsoft Word) but I'm only uploading a chapter at a time. It's going to be several chapters, not sure how many. I 'm still breaking the rest of it down. Also, I don't know how often to put a chapter up, so let me know what a normal time to do so is. Thanks!


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses. **

* * *

Merlin pulled out his textbook almost immediately after telling the taxi driver where to go but as he started to read, his thoughts drifted back to his encounter with Arthur Pendragon on the tube. Try as he might to focus on Blake's poems, he couldn't. Arthur's face kept superimposing itself over the words on the page. After another ten minutes of attempting to study, Merlin gave up and put his book away, preferring to stare out the window and think of Arthur.

The taxi driver interrupted his musings some time later. "Hey, kid, here's your stop."

"Oh!" Merlin came back to himself and paid his tab. He grabbed his bag, got out and headed for the English building.

He shoved the door of the classroom open and walked to the back of the room, dropping into his seat when he got there. A thump on his left alerted him to his friend's arrival.

"Hey, mate! You ready for Kilgarrah's test this afternoon?"

"Morning, Gwaine. I'm as ready as I'll ever be, I suppose," Merlin said.

Gwaine slung his arm around Merlin's shoulders. "Come on, Merlin, you know Professor Kilgarrah loves you; you're the only one who gets his humor!"

Merlin looked over at him. "Yeah, I guess."

Gwaine pulled back, frowning. "Okay, what's going on?"

Merlin quickly looked away. "Nothing. Just not looking forward to the test is all." He hoped that would be enough to deter Gwaine, but apparently not as Gwaine bumped his shoulder.

"There is most definitely something going on that you're not telling me. You're not usually this closemouthed, especially this early in the morning. Aren't I your best mate? Don't we tell each other everything?"

"Yes, Gwaine, you tell me everything, in excruciating detail that never fails to scar me for life. Every time."

Gwaine just made his sad puppy face which he knew Merlin could never resist. With a sigh, Merlin told him about his encounter with Arthur Pendragon. Gwaine about fell off his chair at the mention of his name. "_The _Arthur Pendragon? Seriously? Tell me you didn't flirt with him, Merlin, please. Oh, god, you did, didn't you?" he moaned. "I thought Will and I had warned you about doing these kinds of things."

"I am perfectly capable of making my own decisions, Gwaine, I am an adult, unlike you," Merlin retorted, annoyed. "What is the big deal over him, anyway? He's just some guy I met on the tube, really." He tried to blow it off and started rummaging in his bag for his notebook.

"What's the big deal? Merlin! His father owns the biggest company in London! How could you not know his name?"

"Well, obviously, I don't. Besides, I'm most likely never going to see him again, so it doesn't matter, does it?"

Gwaine frowned thoughtfully. "Well, when you put it like that, I suppose it's alright." He waggled a finger at Merlin as their professor walked in. "Just no more flirting on the tube."

Merlin rolled his eyes as class started. He didn't tell Gwaine that he wished he would see Arthur again sometime.

* * *

"Good morning, Arthur!"

Arthur waved at his father's secretary as he entered the lobby. "Morning, Elena. Is my father in yet?"

"Yes, he said to send you in as soon as you arrived. Running a little late, are we?" Elena smiled at him.

"Blame Morgana. I know I will." He knocked on his father's office door, received an "Enter!" and walked in. "Good morning, Father. I'm sorry I'm late, but Morgana had a crisis last night."

Uther Pendragon didn't look up from his computer until Arthur had settled himself in the armchair in front of the desk then turned to him. "Tardiness is not something employers look for, Arthur, nor is it something that I condone. Do not let it happen again."

"Yes, Father."

Uther nodded. "Now, how is the proposal coming along?"

"It's coming along quite well, actually. I should have it ready for you by tomorrow's deadline. I have a meeting with Leon to finalize some things and then a conference call with Odin this afternoon," Arthur replied.

Uther nodded. "Good, good. Any problems you know what to do." He turned back to his computer and Arthur knew he was dismissed.

_Yeah, _Arthur thought as he left his father's office, _deal with any problems by myself. _Asking for help was seen as weakness in Uther Pendragon's book. He waved to Elena as he headed for the elevators and his own office. He'd lied to his father a little, actually. There were several more things that needed to be done, not the least of which was convincing Odin to sign the damn papers before tomorrow's deadline.

Oh, how he wished he was doing anything else right now. Even dealing with a depressed Morgana was preferable to talking with Odin. That thought reminded him of his new acquaintance from the train ride and he smiled, wondering if Merlin was in class right then. His thoughts wandered as he sat down at his desk only to be interrupted by a knock on the door.

He looked up. Leon gave him a knowing look and said, "Oh, I know that look."

Arthur tried to head it off early. "What look? There's no look."

Leon came further into the room. "The look that says you fancy someone. Who is he? Do I know him?"

"There isn't anyone." Arthur opened up the appropriate documents on his computer while Leon flopped into a chair and raised an eyebrow at him. "Met him on the tube," Arthur mumbled.

Leon sat up. "Did you get his name?"

"Yes, although I had to give mine first."

"He give up his seat for you?"

Arthur glared at him. "There were no seats to give up. I was late and we were both standing."

Leon laughed. "So, no fawning?"

"You're an ass, you know that, right?"

"I'm your best friend; I'm entitled to a little good-natured ribbing."

"Oh is that what you call it?"

Leon said cheerfully, "Yup. So who is he and did you get his number?"

Arthur rolled his eyes. "You make me sound like such a girl. His name is Merlin, Merlin Emrys, and no, I didn't get his number."

"Strange name. Why didn't you get his number? You like him, right?"

"Do you think we could, possibly, postpone this conversation until, say, never? We do have work to do, considering I had to lie to my father and tell him we would meet the deadline."

Leon leaned forward to see the computer screen. "Postponed until after the proposal is done, but that's all the time I'm giving you. Also, I'm telling Percival and Elyan about your new crush."

"It's not a crush!" Arthur exploded. God, if his father found out he was interested in guys instead of girls, he'd have a heart attack. His father was convinced he'd grow out of it and find some rich girl to marry. "And we're not talking about this at work. My father could hear us."

"Fine, fine, not a crush. But we can discuss your infatuation later, out of your father's earshot. What do you want to work on first?" Leon effectively switched topics without giving Arthur the chance for a rebuttal.

Arthur studied the screen then pointed to a column of figures. "There, we need to fix that to fit the budget for the restoration so that it corresponds with the figures for what the construction company plans to spend. Also, we need to know how much Odin is actually going to give us but since he hasn't signed the papers yet, I can't work that into the final figures yet." He dropped his head into his hands, wishing he could be anywhere else.

Leon reassured him, "It'll be fine, Arthur. We'll just get Vivian in here; she's great with convincing people to do things. You put her on the phone with Odin and it'll be no problem. Just focus on the restoration budget for the moment and it will all work out."

Arthur flashed him a brief smile. "Thanks, Leon." They settled in for a long day of reworking budgets and contracts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

**Author's Note: I'm so sorry about not updating before this. School and work kinda kicked my butt this week. So, to make it up to you, my faithful readers, you get two chapters today :D I hope you continue to like it and I look forward to your comments. So...I guess that's it. Enjoy!**

* * *

Merlin walked out of the building, relieved to have the test over and done with, despite his confidence in the knowledge. Now he could focus on his essay for his Shakespeare class due next Wednesday. He glanced at his watch: 4:30 p.m. Will should still be working at the coffee shop; he didn't think his shift ended til five today. Coffee was just what he needed after a test in Professor Kilgarrah's class.

He walked down the street, shooting Gwaine a text to meet up there. Gwaine always wanted to go over their tests afterwards, and since Merlin had finished first he had some time to kill. He shoved his mobile back in his pocket and let his thoughts drift while he walked. It was a well-known path, one he could walk in his sleep. Merlin started off thinking about the questions on the test, realizing he'd gotten a few wrong that he really shouldn't have, but after ten minutes of berating himself for being an idiot his thoughts drifted back to that morning on the underground.

Arthur Pendragon was apparently a very important person, or at least his father was, according to Gwaine, but Merlin had never really heard of him more than catching a mention of them on the news. Honestly, Merlin preferred to avoid the news; it was too depressing for him. He wondered what would happen if they ran into each other again.

He looked up as someone called his name and waved through the window at his friend Lance. Guess he was done with work early. Usually he worked later than Will and they met up at the bar. He walked into the coffee shop, shaking his head at the dragon's roar that alerted them to customers. Gaius was an eccentric old man and he absolutely hated the usual chimes that sounded in other stores.

"Merlin! Over here!" Lance waved him over and Merlin happily dumped his bag on the seat next to him.

"Hey, Lance, you get off early?"

"Yeah, things were rather slow so the boss sent a couple of us home," Lance informed him. "How was class? You had a test today, right?"

"Yeah, Professor Kilgarrah's romantics test." Merlin shook his head. "I know for sure I got several wrong that I should've gotten right. I feel like I've let him down somehow when I don't do well."

Lance put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed it briefly. "You're going to ace the test anyway, you know your stuff. There's no way you could let Professor Kilgarrah down. Besides," he leaned back, "you did better than Gwaine did, I'm sure."

"Hey! I resent that!" Gwaine stood next to the table, arms crossed, frowning down at them. "Merlin helped me study and I remembered more than I thought I would, so there."

Lance and Merlin laughed and Lance slid over to make room for Gwaine. The waitress came over to take their orders and the conversation started up again after she left.

Gwaine turned to Merlin. "So why are we assuming that you did better than I did?"

"Because you're a horrible student," Merlin said.

Gwaine raised an eyebrow at him. "Be careful with your insults, there, mate, or I might decide to tell Lance all about your incident on the tube this morning."

Lance perked up and Merlin groaned inwardly. Lance was better to talk to about things like this than Gwaine was but he still didn't want it making the rounds. Especially with Will nearby to overhear. They'd tried the whole friends-with-benefits thing which went on to be dating but Will got real jealous real fast and Merlin couldn't take it anymore so they broke up. "Do you have to bring that up, Gwaine?"

A quick glance at him and Merlin knew there was no stopping him. "Merlin," Gwaine said, pausing momentarily for dramatic effect, "flirted with Arthur Pendragon on the tube before class this morning."

Lance's mouth fell open. "You met Arthur Pendragon on the tube."

Merlin scowled. "Why does everyone seem to find that so astonishing? He's just another guy, okay? It's not that strange. And I did not flirt; we just talked, like normal people."

Gwaine said, "You were definitely flirting with him. I could tell by the look on your face before class this morning and now as well."

Lance shook his head. "We'll have to educate you later. Right now, what I want to know is, did he start the conversation or did you?"

The waitress returned with their orders and Merlin took a sip to avoid having to answer until he could sort out his thoughts. He was almost positive at the time that Arthur had been flirting with him, but now that he thought about it, maybe he was just being friendly.

"Hellllooooo….Earth to Merlin." Merlin blinked a couple times as Gwaine laughingly said, "Oh, he's got it bad. Better head it off at the start, huh, Lance?"

Will pulled up a chair at the end of the table and sat down with a huff. "Glad my shift's finally over. Head what off at the start, Gwaine?"

Gwaine winked at Merlin. "Merlin's new crush." Will scowled.

Merlin groaned. "That's it. I'm leaving. I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"Oh, come on," Will exclaimed. "I just got off shift and now you're leaving? And leaving me in the dark, too."

Merlin threw his bag over his shoulder. "I'm sure Gwaine and Lance will be only too happy to fill you in. Sorry, Will, but I do have some homework to get done before work tomorrow." He walked away, leaving Gwaine and Lance to fill Will in on his morning meeting with Arthur. On the plus side, he didn't have to discuss Professor Kilgarrah's test question by question with Gwaine and he could get a head start on his homework. Merlin smiled to himself as he headed for the tube. Maybe he'd meet Arthur again Wednesday on his way to class again.

* * *

Arthur leaned back in his desk chair and stretched, feeling his back crack as he did so. The proposal was almost done. All he needed to do with it was add Odin's final figures, tweak it a bit and then it was done. Thank god for Vivian; she really was amazing at negotiations. He really should get her something nice for dealing with Odin for him. She'd even gotten him to agree to give more than he'd originally planned, and voluntarily, too.

His mobile alerted him that he had a text message. He glanced down at where it rested next to his keyboard. It was Morgana, telling him that they had a 6:30 reservation at some French restaurant. Well, at least it wasn't horribly expensive. Arthur checked the clock, noted he had an hour to get there, and made sure to save the day's work before shutting his computer down and gathering his things.

He poked his head in Leon's office as he passed it. "Hey, thanks for earlier. Sorry about my minor panic attack."

"Not a problem, Arthur. Glad to help." Leon smiled. "You heading out?"

"Yeah. Just got to stop by my father to let him know Odin's coming by tomorrow and then I'm meeting Morgana and Gwen for dinner in an attempt to lift her spirits after having been dumped last night." Arthur had a thought. "Listen, do you want to come? Keep me company while they cry and stuff?"

Leon laughed. "Yeah, sure, I don't have any other plans. Meet you out front in ten?"

Arthur nodded and headed for the elevators. Forty-five minutes later, he and Leon were walking through the front doors of the restaurant. He hoped Morgana didn't mind that he'd brought Leon along for company.

"Arthur! Over here!" He turned to his left and saw Gwen waving at him from her seat next to his sister. He and Leon threaded their way amongst the tables until they reached the girls. Gwen stood up as they arrived and Arthur gave her a hug before bending over and kissing Morgana on the cheek.

"How are you holding up, Morgana?" he asked as he sat down. "Hope you two don't mind me bringing Leon along. I owe him for helping with that damn proposal."

She gave him a wan smile. "I'm okay; Gwen's been wonderful in distracting me. Hi Leon, good to see you again."

Leon smiled at her. "I heard about what happened. I'm sorry."

"Thanks. And I should really thank you, too, Arthur," Morgana said, turning to him, "for dealing with my sorry self last night."

Arthur shook his head. "You're my sister, Morgana, despite how annoying you can be."

Morgana's eyes lit up, like she'd only just remembered something. "You were upset with me this morning when I called you. Did I interrupt something?"

Arthur shook his head and was in the middle of answering her when Leon interrupted. "That's right! You were going to tell me about this Merlin guy."

"Merlin?" Gwen said dubiously. "What kind of name is that?"

"His mother liked the Arthurian legends," Arthur defended.

Morgana looked intrigued. "You met someone and you weren't going to say anything? Arthur, this is a wonderful distraction from what's-his-name!"

_Oh, god. Why did I bring Leon with me? _"I was late getting to the underground, a guy started talking to me and I answered him. There is nothing else going on. Can we just find a waiter and…" Arthur twisted around, searching the restaurant.

Leon offered, "Name's Merlin Emrys and he didn't recognize Arthur as being the stinking rich bloke that he is which is probably why Arthur's crushing on him. Also, he didn't get Merlin's number."

Morgana frowned. "He didn't recognize you? Did you give him your real name?"

"Yes, I gave him my real name. What, do you think I go around introducing myself with a fake name?" Arthur said, indignant. "Yeah, hi there, my name's Bob Everett. I'm not an idiot, Morgana!" He finally caught the eye of a waiter and waved him over. "What did you and Gwen do today, anyway?" He shot Gwen a look that said_ Help! _

Gwen just shook her head and informed him, "We just watched lots of movies that are great for crying, I fed her ice cream and we felt sorry for the males of the human race for not knowing how amazing Morgana is. It wasn't much."

Morgana smiled warmly at her. "It was exactly what a best friend should do and I appreciate it very much. Of course, discussing our mutual lack of a love life means that you should tell me about yours," she said, turning back to Arthur who smiled with triumph as the waiter stopped next to their table.

"Would you like to order, sir?" he asked Arthur.

"Yes. Um…actually, Morgana, why don't you go first? I haven't quite decided yet," Arthur said.

One by one they placed their orders, the waiter left and Morgana turned to Leon. "What else do you know about him?"

"Sadly, just what I've told you. Arthur refused to tell me more in the office for fear Uther might overhear," Leon said.

Arthur scowled. "Alright, listen up, because this is all I'm going to say on the subject. His name is Merlin Emrys, he's going for his master's in English at university-"

"Which one?" Gwen interrupted.

"How the hell should I know? It's not like we told each other our life stories in a fifteen minute ride," Arthur retorted. "Anyway, he was studying for a test on authors in the Romantic period but was willing to talk to me instead of study until we arrived at his stop, okay?"

The others exchanged glances and Arthur mentally sighed. They were going to ask for more information than he had, he just knew it. Although, he admitted to himself, he enjoyed talking about the stranger from the tube. As he guessed, Morgana spoke first, apparently efficiently distracted from her own troubles for the moment. "What did he look like?"

Arthur stared at her. _What did he look like? Like the most beautiful person I'd ever seen, but there's no way in hell I'm saying that out loud._ "He had short black hair that was standing straight up, dark blue eyes, very prominent cheekbones, pale skin, and he was thin. Totally a nerd. The messenger bag he had cinched it."

Leon grinned. "I knew he had to be a looker."

"Okay, now you're sounding like a girl, Leon," Arthur said.

"He sounds handsome, Arthur. Are we ever going to meet him?" Morgana asked.

"No, because I'm never going to see him again."

Gwen pointed out, "You can't know that for certain."

"Yes, I can because I'm never going to be late again." Arthur said this with a note of finality and his friends and sister took the hint and moved on to which movies were coming to the cinema that they'd like to see.

Talk slowly drifted to other topics such as work, sports, what was going on in the news until their food arrived and then conversation stopped. Arthur's thoughts never stopped, though, and he kept thinking about Merlin and wishing he could see him again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

It was two weeks before they ran into each other again, on a Saturday afternoon. Arthur was already on the underground when Merlin burst in, almost falling over before Arthur reached out a hand to grab his arm and steady him.

"Thanks," Merlin breathed as he tried to catch his breath.

Arthur pulled his hand back. "No problem, Merlin."

Merlin looked up and his eyes widened in surprise. "Arthur!" He ran a hand through his hair. "Didn't think I'd ever see you again." Merlin's cheeks flushed and somehow Arthur had the feeling that Merlin was about to start babbling so he cut him off before he could.

"How did your test go? Romantics, wasn't it?"

Merlin looked surprised that he remembered. "Yeah, it went pretty well, actually. Got a 94."

"Glad to hear it," Arthur said. He meant it, too.

"Thanks," Merlin replied, "me too. Hey, how's your sister doing? She with a new guy, yet?"

Arthur scowled. "Yeah, she's going out with one of my buddies. He also happens to work with us so I hope it doesn't go south anytime soon, if at all."

Merlin nodded knowingly. "I know that feeling. I had to avoid my favorite coffee shop for a while after the break-up." Arthur noticed he purposely didn't say who initiated the break-up or if it was over a guy or girl. Not that he cared about that; or did he? It didn't matter to him if Merlin was straight or gay, really, but Arthur knew he was lying to himself.

"Oh, yeah?" _Finally, _Arthur thought, _a way to find out more about him. _"Would I know the coffee shop?"

Merlin laughed. "I doubt it. It's small, just off campus so it's mostly university students in there."

"Hmm," was all Arthur said. _I'm going to have to find out where Merlin goes to school if I want to run into him more than every two weeks._

The conversation died a little after that. Until Merlin noticed Arthur wasn't in a suit but jeans and a jacket with a duffel bag on the floor next to him and asked about it.

"I'm off today," Arthur said cheerfully. "Meeting some mates of mine for a game of football in the park." He studied Merlin for a moment then continued, "I'd ask you if you wanted to join us but somehow I don't think you're the sports type."

"Ha, yeah, no. I'm more of the cheer from the sidelines type. My mates probably would, though."

Arthur nodded. "So," he began hesitantly, "are you headed to class?"

"No. Work. I have class every other day."

_In casual clothing? Where in the world would that be? _"Where do you work?"

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Full of questions today, aren't you?"

Arthur blushed, embarrassed. "I, well, um," he fumbled for words. "You're the first person to not be fake nice because of who I am and I wanted to know more about you." _There, that didn't sound too stalker-ish or creepy._

"You get a lot of people who are fake nice?"

"Everybody wants something from me, so they all try to get in my good graces. It gets annoying after a while, trying to figure out who's a real friend and who just wants an interview or money. To have somebody not do that is…refreshing."

"My friends warned me about you, you know," Merlin said offhandedly. Arthur just raised an eyebrow and Merlin laughed nervously. "I-I mean, I got the whole history of the famous Pendragon family after I mentioned running into you a couple weeks ago."

Arthur said, "Please, don't believe everything you see on the telly or read in the tabloids. I'm actually a nice person, despite my family."

Merlin laughed again. "You've been nice to me, so I guess I won't hold what my friends told me against you."

The conductor spoke up then, announcing Arthur's stop. He reflected on the fact that this time it was him who had to leave first.

"So, I guess this is your stop?" Merlin assumed as the train slid to a stop and Arthur took a step towards the doors.

"Yeah, sorry," Arthur said, and he meant it. He really liked talking with Merlin. "It was nice seeing you again."

Merlin nodded. "Same here. Who knows? Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."

Arthur said, "I'd like that." The train moved on and Arthur headed out of the station. It was only after he was in a taxi on the way to the park that he realized Merlin had never told him where he worked.

* * *

**Author's Note: Sorry this one is shorter than the last one, but Arthur and Merlin are getting closer to having more than a few minutes together ;)**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

"So, do I have to do the obligatory awkward question of how you and Leon are doing?" Arthur asked Morgana as he tried to clean his living room one handed. He switched his mobile to his other ear to pick up a couple used mugs and carry them into his kitchen.

"Of course not, Arthur," Morgana said sweetly. "How about we talk about your feelings for this Merlin that I have yet to meet?"

_Crash!_ Arthur jumped back and swore loudly as one of the mugs slipped out of his hand and shattered on the floor.

"Arthur? Are you alright?"

He grabbed the broom and started sweeping. "Yeah, I'm fine. Mug slipped out of my hands, thankfully not one of my favorites."

"Oh." Morgana paused before asking, "Why did you drop your mug?"

"Because of your bloody question, that's why! I have no feelings for him and you're never going to meet him because I'm never going to see him again." _No matter how much I secretly want to. _Having gathered the shards into a pile, Arthur awkwardly swept them into the dustpan and dumped them in the garbage can, all while trying not to drop his mobile.

"If you have no feelings for him, why did you break your mug at the mere mention of his name?" Morgana inquired slyly.

Arthur glared at his garbage can, wishing he could somehow send it through the phone to his sister, then turned away to continue cleaning. "I didn't expect you to bring it up, that's all. Did you want something other than to make me break my dishes?"

"Leon asked me to tell you that he finished the project so you don't have to come in tomorrow."

Arthur tossed some dirty laundry into a basket, sparing a brief thought for how he'd let his flat get so messy, and asked slowly, "Leon went in on a Saturday to do my work for me?"

"Yep."

"Why?"

Morgana sighed through the mobile. "Because you're friends, Arthur, and you've been so busy lately that he thought he'd do something nice for you. So now you have the rest of the weekend to relax before Father comes up with more projects that Pendragon Inc. does not need."

Arthur dropped onto the couch, stunned. Leon was his best mate, but going into work on a Saturday was above and beyond the call of duty. "Well, tell Leon thanks, and that I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem. I'll see you on Monday, then."

"Right. See you then. Bye Morgana."

He was just about to hang up when she said hurriedly, "Oh, and Arthur? Go shopping. Last time I stopped by, your cupboards were practically empty." She hung up before he could say anything.

"My cupboards are not empty," Arthur muttered as he walked into his kitchen. He opened his cupboard and found a couple soup cans, some half empty boxes of crackers, and a box of cereal. _Huh, _he thought, _Morgana was right. Guess I'm going to the store._ He threw on his shoes and jacket, made sure he had his mobile and keys and walked out of his flat. Arthur pushed the door of the building open, stepped out into the sunlight and immediately rethought his plans to drive to the store, choosing to walk instead. Sunlight was a rarity in the spring in London; usually it rained a lot. Besides, he reasoned, he could always take a taxi home with the groceries.

Arthur turned down the street with the supermarket on it when something across the street caught his eye. He turned to look and saw Merlin with a couple guys he assumed were Merlin's friends. Merlin was in jeans and a light green hoodie this time. One of the guys, on Merlin's left, was about Merlin's height, which made him slightly taller than Arthur himself, had shoulder-length brown hair, a mustache, the beginnings of a beard, not as pale as Merlin, and an athlete's physique, from what Arthur could tell from where he stood. He wore jeans and a blue shirt underneath his open black windbreaker. The other bloke was on Merlin's right and was taller than both Merlin and his one friend. He had short dark brown hair, a mustache but thinner and lighter than the other bloke's, a lithe physique with broad shoulders and a darker complexion than the others. He was wearing jeans as well, but had a hoodie on underneath his jean jacket.

Arthur smiled and opened his mouth to call out to Merlin-it had been almost two weeks since they'd last seen each other, after all-when he saw one of Merlin's mates, the one on the left, throw an arm across Merlin's shoulders in a familiar way. The taller guy laughed at them and Arthur stopped in his tracks. Jealousy flooded through him and he narrowed his eyes at them. Then his eyes widened. _Why am I jealous? It's not like we've ever talked about dating or who we like to date or anything like that. _He shook his head. There was absolutely no rational reason for him to be feeling like this! None whatsoever! Just like he'd told Morgana, and he felt a little guilty for lying to her. Then he realized he'd been lying to himself. He was going to go crazy, thinking like this.

Arthur stood there on the sidewalk, ignoring the grievances of the people who had to walk around him, and argued with himself about why he was feeling what he was feeling. _I can't like somebody from talking to them for fifteen minutes, it's just not possible. But don't Gwen and Morgana talk about love at first sight? _He shook his head. _Impossible. Besides, even if I did like Merlin like that, there's no guarantee he likes me back or that he's even gay! Although, that mate of his certainly looks chummy enough with him. Gah! I can't be jealous of him without having said anything about my feelings towards him._

He had just about decided to move on and forget the whole incident when Merlin glanced up and over at him. Their eyes met across the street and Arthur swore time slowed to a stop in that instant. He felt himself flush and almost instantly saw Merlin blush as well and throw his friend's arm off of his shoulders. Arthur's spirits lifted a little at the action, smiling to himself as the friend pouted and the taller guy laughed at him. The three guys kept walking, though, and Merlin's friends were apparently unaware of Arthur's presence.

Arthur opened his mouth to call out to Merlin again, try to at least say hey, even started to wave at him. He saw a hopeful look cross Merlin's face, saw him try to wave back, but a lorry passed between them, breaking the connection. By the time it had passed, Merlin and his friends were at the corner. He saw their backs as they turned the corner away from him. Merlin twisted around to glance at him one last time before the three of them disappeared from sight and Arthur felt his heart plummet a little, disappointed there wasn't more. He'd thought, probably irrationally, that Merlin would stop and maybe come over and talk to him rather than keep going. But Merlin didn't ignore him, so there was that. There was hope.

Arthur decided in that moment to search for any and all universities near the underground stop that Merlin got off at after their first meeting, feeling an irrational need to know anything and everything about Merlin that he could find. He turned around and went back to his flat, forgetting his original reason for going out and stopping for takeaway on the way back for dinner.

Once in his living room, he pulled his laptop out and started his research. By the end of the day, he hadn't found much, being unable to figure out which of the three universities within cab distance with graduate programs in English could be the one Merlin's attending so he switched his focus. If he couldn't find him that way, then he'd have to wait til their next run-in. And that time, Arthur was determined to be able to talk to him about his studies, so he started researching Romanticism and its authors.

* * *

Merlin shoved a copy of Jules Verne's _20,000 Leagues Under the Sea _onto Verne's shelf of the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section of the bookstore and moved down the aisle to reshelve a few others that people had decided they didn't want and left in random places. He shook his head. _Why don't people respect books more? They're just as important as electronics. _ Usually he spent his time cataloguing new books and occasionally helping out with customers, but today they were shorthanded so Merlin was helping clean up during the lull.

A chime broke his concentration and he looked up, wondering if the new customers would need assistance. Freya, his co-worker that day, was back in the little café, so Merlin was it. He sighed, set down his pile of books, and headed for the stairs to see what he could do. He had just hit the top step when he recognized the two people standing at the front desk.

With a soft sigh, he descended the stairs. "Lance, Gwaine, what are you two doing here?"

They turned to meet him and Gwaine gave him a hug. "Merlin! There you are, mate!"

They separated and Lance gave him a handshake. Merlin frowned at Gwaine. "You knew I was working today, Gwaine. Where else would I be?"

Gwaine shrugged his question away. "Listen, Lance and I are bored-"

Lance interrupted, "You were bored and managed to convince me that this was a good idea."

"_Anyway_," Gwaine continued, "you're off work soon and then you're coming with us to Lance's for movie night."

"Don't I get a say in this?" Merlin asked.

"Nope," Gwaine said with a smile. "You don't go out anymore so we've solved that problem by making you spend the night hanging out with us."

Lance said, "Don't worry, Merlin, I've already vetoed most of his movie selections so at least there'll be something somewhat normal to watch." When Merlin still hesitated to accept, Lance continued, "Come on, Merlin, it'll be fun. Plus, you don't want to leave me alone with Gwaine for the night; I'll end up killing him or something."

Merlin laughed at the truth of the statement and agreed. "Fine, I'll come, but I still have another half hour til my shift's over. You're welcome to wait; Freya's back in the café cleaning up if you want to talk to her, Gwaine." Gwaine made a beeline straight for the café and Lance and Merlin laughed at his predictability.

Lance said, "I'm going to go check on Gwaine real quick and make sure he isn't making too big a fool of himself, then wander the books for a bit."

"I'll come find you guys when I'm done," Merlin said and they headed in separate directions.

Merlin finished up in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy section and moved back to the office to take care of some email orders that were starting to back up. That successfully killed half an hour so he went to the café to find Lance sitting at a table, a small coffee in one hand and a book in the other. He headed over to Lance first. "Hey, what are you reading?"

Lance looked up. "Oh, hey, Merlin. It's nothing, just something to kill time. Plus, I couldn't stand Gwaine's attempts at flirting with Freya any longer."

Merlin looked over at the two of them. "Do you think she'll put him out of his misery one day and just agree to go out with him?"

"I hope so. He's unbearable when he gets shot down."

"Agreed. So maybe we should interrupt before it gets that far."

Lance nodded, set his book down and they walked over to Gwaine and Freya.

Freya beamed at Merlin. "Gwaine was telling me about the guy's night you have planned."

"Uh, yeah, fun times," Merlin mumbled. "Anyway, I'm off. Come on, Gwaine, you'll have plenty of chances to annoy Freya some other time."

"Thanks for your help today, Merlin. I know you don't normally like to run things out there but I really appreciated it. I'll see you Tuesday, then," Freya said with a smile.

Merlin smiled back at her. "Happy to help, Freya, you know that."

Gwaine winked at her. "See you later, Freya. Come on, you two, Lance promised we could watch _Zombieland_!"

"Really, Lance?" Merlin asked as he waved goodbye to Freya and followed Gwaine out of the shop. "You know how I hate zombie movies."

"You see, I don't get that, Merlin," Gwaine announced as they set off down the street, Merlin on his right and Lance on Merlin's other side. "You like action movies, and alien movies, and the occasional chick flick and yet you hate zombies. What's so different?"

"Zombies are creepy and actually possible," Merlin retorted. "None of the other plot lines are even remotely possible, that's what's so different."

"Oh, so zombies are possible, but all those James Bond films aren't?" Gwaine said.

"Yes," Merlin replied, "because there is no way any normal human is able to get the girl, stop the bad guy, save the world and still look that bloody immaculate. And wearing a tuxedo and armed with gadgets that aren't possible."

"Obviously it is. Haven't you heard of spies, Merlin? MI6 and the CIA and all that? They have all those things; they're totally possible. While zombies are dead people that scientists have messed with and are so not creepy!"

"Fine! When the zombie apocalypse happens, you can be the one that tries to fight them and gets his brains eaten!" Merlin snapped.

"Okay," Lance interjected. "Why don't we just agree to disagree and pick a movie that we all want to watch?" Reluctantly, Gwaine and Merlin switched topics and they made their way to the convenience store near Lance's flat for movie snacks. They'd finally decided on which movies to watch and were debating crisps versus pretzels when Gwaine let out a whistle of appreciation at a woman walking by.

Merlin exchanged a glance with Lance and they rolled their eyes. "I thought you wanted to go out with Freya, Gwaine?"

"Doesn't mean I can't appreciate a good woman when they walk by," Gwaine said. "They like it; lets them know their efforts to look beautiful are worth it."

Lance snorted. "Wonderful reasoning, there, mate."

"You know, Merlin, there're some pretty fine looking men out there, too."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "And why would I care?"

Gwaine threw his hands in the air. "Because you need to get laid, mate! You haven't been on a date in almost two months!"

Merlin informed him, "I've been busy with school and work, and tutoring your sorry ass so you manage to stay in school. I don't have time to date."

"Sure you do. Lance, you agree with me don't you?" Gwaine turned to the quietest member of their little group.

"Not that I'm picking sides or anything," Lance said carefully, "but it has been a while since you put yourself out there, Merlin. Go on a couple dates, get back on the scene."

Gwaine beamed at Lance's support. "Exactly!" He threw his arm across Merlin's shoulders, making Lance laugh, and said, "I've got just the guy to set you up with. He's perfect for just starting up again; yes or no?"

Merlin shook his head and remained silent for a minute, thinking. He knew they were right. It wasn't that so much as it was that he doubted Gwaine's taste, not that he'd ever say that to him. There were a couple guys who came by the bookstore every now and then that had been interested in him, but every time Merlin couldn't make himself be interested in them. All of a sudden, the back of his neck prickled and he had the strangest feeling that someone was watching them.

He looked around and his eye was caught by the young blond man across the street. With a start Merlin recognized Arthur Pendragon, wearing jeans and a black leather jacket. Their eyes locked, time slowed, and Merlin felt a blush creep across his face. Without really knowing why, other than he didn't want Arthur to get the wrong impression that Gwaine was his boyfriend or anything-he didn't know why that mattered at that moment but it did-Merlin threw Gwaine's arm off his shoulder, making Gwaine stumble a few steps.

Merlin had the vaguest notion of Gwaine pouting and Lance laughing but he couldn't tear his eyes away from Arthur as they kept walking. He saw Arthur open his mouth, as if to call out to him, and Merlin really hoped he did and saw him start to wave. Merlin started to wave back but a lorry passed between them at that exact moment, breaking their connection. Merlin felt disappointed, wishing they could have stopped to talk for a minute.

He wanted to stop and wait for the lorry to pass, but how to explain to Lance and Gwaine that he wanted to talk to Arthur, a guy he's only met a couple of times, a guy who probably wouldn't normally be caught dead seeing someone so lowly as Merlin in public? They were almost to the corner when the lorry was finally gone. _Honestly, could the driver go any slower? _They started to turn and Merlin had the irrational need to see Arthur one last time, to fix Arthur's image in his mind. He twisted around, saw a look of disappointment cross Arthur's face and thought he imagined it but he couldn't check as the building on the corner blocked his view. He felt like part of himself was left back there on that street corner as they entered the convenience store.

Later, as the three of them lounged on Lance's furniture watching movies, he caught Lance studying him thoughtfully and realized he had figured something out. Merlin thought he'd have to talk to him soon, but without Gwaine there; that was just asking for trouble and drama. Besides, Gwaine slept with everyone. As the credits rolled on the third movie, Merlin wondered if there was a way he could contrive to meet Arthur again, and for longer than fifteen minutes here and there every few weeks on the tube.

* * *

**Author's Note: ooh so close! Hee hee. Getting closer but still not quite yet :D**

**Love all of you who are patiently (or most probably impatiently) waiting for the next chapter**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Morgana walked into Arthur's office a week later, swept through the open door and announced, "I know where he goes to school and works."

Arthur looked up from his computer and scowled. "I'm busy, Morgana."

She settled in the chair opposite him. "Well, aren't we grumpy today?"

"Father dumped five projects on my desk this morning and demanded them by Friday. I have less than a week to get this done, Morgana."

She leaned forward, pulled the folder out of his hands and dumped it on the chair next to her. "Pendragon Inc.'s projects can wait ten minutes. Aren't you even remotely interested in what I found out?"

Arthur sighed. _I suppose I could use a break from writing proposals for a bit. _"Alright, Morgana, what is so important that you have to interrupt me at work," he said, making it sound like a big imposition even though they both knew he was lying to save face.

Morgana let him. "Merlin!"

"What about him?"

"In case you weren't listening when I walked in, I said I know where he goes to school." Morgana smiled impishly. "I also found out where he works."

Arthur raised an eyebrow at her. "Have you been stalking him?"

"Of course not!" She sounded insulted. "But I knew how in love with him you are, so I had Elena do some research for me."

Arthur rolled his eyes. _Figures. She never could leave anything alone. And knowing my sister, she roped my friends into it too._ "Morgana, Elena is Father's secretary. You shouldn't be making her do things for you, especially things like this. And I'm not in love with Merlin," he made sure to add.

"Anyway," Morgana went on, ignoring him, "turns out that Elena is friends with Mithian in accounting who is friends with someone named Freya-pretty name, by the way-and Freya works with Merlin." She looked very proud of herself.

Arthur blinked a couple times, trying to process the long-winded explanation. "Wait, so, Elena knows Merlin?"

Morgana sighed. "Weren't you listening? Elena is friends with-"

"No! No, I got that." Arthur really didn't want to hear it again. "Just tell me what you found out so I can go back to work."

"I thought you didn't want to work."

"And I told you Father dumped all these projects on me due in four days."

Morgana raised an eyebrow knowingly. "And how much have you gotten done since you decided to admit your feelings for Merlin? Uh huh, don't deny it. I know you better than anyone, Arthur Pendragon."

He scowled at her. "Not helping."

"Well," she drawled, "if you would focus on what I'm telling you, you might actually get some work done."

"Get on with it, Morgana."

Morgana grinned. "He attends Camelot University, going for his Master's in English, and spends quite a lot of time studying according to his coworker, Freya. Elena says that Freya and Merlin have known each other for a couple years and work together at a little out-of-the-way bookshop called Albion Bookseller. Cue the applause." She settled back in her chair, unable to hide her proud smirk.

Arthur tried desperately to hide his elation at finding out where Merlin worked. He somehow wasn't surprised to learn that the guy he'd pegged as a book-nerd worked in a bookshop. He turned back to his computer and said as dismissively as he could, "Thanks for the information. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a ton of work to do."

Morgana apparently had more to say, but she leaned forward to pull the top folder off of his stack of projects and opened it. "Who is Wesley and why do we need to hire him? And why haven't I heard of this? I do run Personnel, Arthur."

"He's a new contractor for one of our latest company mergers. You haven't heard of it because I have yet to contact him; he's one of a couple construction companies that I've been looking at." He reached out for the folder but she lifted it out of his reach.

"Why do we need a new contractor? What happened to Alvarr? Is he doing unsatisfactory work?" she asked, curious.

Arthur snatched the folder back. "Alvarr refuses to work for Cenred so Father wants me to find somebody who won't have problems working for him. Now, please leave."

"Of course." She got to her feet and started for the door, throwing out behind her, "By the way I'm having a party Saturday and you're invited."

Arthur replied automatically, "I'm busy."

"Doing what?" She turned around in the doorway.

He looked up at her and raised an eyebrow. "What did I tell you when you first interrupted me?"

Morgana looked slightly confused but he wasn't sure if it was real or fake. She was good at faking emotions to get what she wanted.

"I can't go because I have all of these projects to finish," he explained patiently.

She took a few steps back in and said, "_Au contraire, mon frère_. They are due Friday and the party's on Saturday. That way you'll be all finished with your projects and can relax. Trust me, you'll need the time to unwind."

Arthur shook his head. "French again, Morgana? You know I can't speak French. Besides, I'm not really in the party mood."

"Isn't this an international company, Arthur? And you can't speak French? It means on the contrary, dear brother."

"And that's why you hire people for their ability to speak other languages. That way they can handle the foreign contacts instead of me," Arthur explained.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to my party?" Morgana tried one last time.

"I'm sure."

Morgana sighed and turned to go again, flouncing out of the room. "All well. I suppose Merlin's going to be all alone, then."

Arthur's head snapped up at that. "Wait, what?"

Morgana turned back around, smiling mischievously. "I said Merlin will be all alone."

"Why is Merlin going to be all alone? You don't even know him, how did you invite him?"

She sighed. "Weren't you listening, Arthur? Elena is friends with Mithian who's friends with Freya who works at the bookshop with Merlin. I invited Elena and told her she could invite some friends; the more the merrier, you know. Anyway, Elena told me she invited Mithian and Mithian invited Freya and her friends. So Merlin will be at the party for you to talk to and flirt with and hopefully get a date out of it."

Arthur's mouth opened and closed several times. He couldn't quite wrap his head around the fact that if he made it to Morgana's party, he could potentially spend most of Saturday night talking with Merlin. It was a chance he never thought he'd have. How in the world did Morgana manage it?

"Dress nice!" Morgana shot over her shoulder as she walked out of his office, leaving him totally nonplussed and lost for words.

As he heard her heels click into the distance, Arthur started to plan how to win over Merlin at Morgana's party Saturday.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Merlin walked up the sidewalk with his friends with his hands shoved into his jeans pockets, and wondered, not for the first time, if it was really a good idea to go to this party. There were plenty of other things he could be doing on a Saturday night instead, like working on his papers. He wasn't normally one for parties, but after the surprising success of movie night a week ago, Gwaine had managed to convince him to go with them. He still wasn't totally clear on how exactly they'd all been invited to a party at the Pendragons' place. And, of course, Merlin had no idea if Arthur would be there or not or if he wanted to him to be there or not.

Freya dropped back to walk next to him, her white blouse and blue knee-length skirt billowing out in the wind. "Are you alright, Merlin? You've been rather quiet since we parked."

He offered a weak smile. "I'm not really the party type, Freya, but I let Gwaine talk me into coming and if I ditch, he'll never let me forget it."

She smiled reassuringly at him. "Don't worry about it. I don't normally do parties, either, but it's a great way to hang out with friends and meet new ones."

"Have you ever met the host of the party?"

"Morgana?" He nodded and she shook her head. "No, I haven't. Mithian, though, is friends with Elena and they work for the Pendragons. Apparently that's how we all got invited. But I've heard nice things about Morgana."

"Hey, slowpokes! Hurry up already! I want to get drunk!" Gwaine shouted back to them from where he stood at the front door. Freya and Merlin rolled their eyes and ran up the walk to join the others.

Mithian knocked on the door. Elena opened it and squealed, "Mith! You made it! Oh, I'm so glad to see you! Come in, come in, and introduce me to everyone."

They stood in the entryway and Mithian had just finished introducing everyone when a tall, attractive young woman wearing a navy blue mini-dress appeared. Merlin felt instantly underdressed in his jeans and light blue button-down shirt. Elena greeted her and Merlin stared at her, surprised that Arthur's sister looked nothing like him. She was as dark and willowy as he was light and muscular.

Elena turned back to them. "Okay, so you all know me and Morgana, now. Morgana this is Mithian, Lance, Gwaine, Freya, and Merlin." Morgana nodded or smiled at each of them in turn but when her eyes landed on him, Merlin felt that she could see right through him and her smile was more of a knowing smirk. _Uh-oh._

Morgana turned back to face the whole group. "Nice to meet all of you. The party is kind of all over the place, but do try to stay downstairs unless you need the bathroom. There's a second one upstairs, but everything else up there is off-limits." With that, she was off.

The girls went in the same direction as Morgana, leaving the guys in the entryway. Merlin looked at Lance and Gwaine, wondering what to do now but not wanting to say it aloud.

Gwaine abruptly said, "Let's go this way." He grabbed Merlin's arm and dragged him in the opposite direction of the girls, Lance trailing along behind.

Merlin tried to tug his arm free, but he got distracted by the sheer amount of people in the room. They were all either dancing to the very loud, head pounding music, drinking, or snogging in a corner. By the third such room, Merlin had officially decided that he did not fit in here at all. He managed to free himself from Gwaine's grip, but only because Gwaine had suddenly spotted a table full of drinks and snacks and made a beeline for it. Merlin reluctantly followed Lance over to the table, grateful to see that there were non-alcoholic drinks available. He was almost always designated driver.

They each grabbed a drink and Gwaine said, "This party rocks! Did you see those hot blond twins in the last room? I've definitely got to meet them."

The music switched to a different song, more upbeat and with even more bass than before. Merlin had to shout to be heard over it. "How did you even manage to see someone in this crowd?"

Gwaine winked at him. "Got to keep your eyes open, mate! That's how you get laid." He leaned around Merlin to see Lance. "Haven't we been over this with him before? I seem to remember telling him this before," and he downed half his beer in one swallow.

"Take it easy, Gwaine!" Lance warned him. "We've only just arrived."

Gwaine waved him off, refilled his cup and said, "Let's go explore. Who knows how many chances we'll get to see how the other half lives, right?"

Merlin and Lance exchanged glances. Merlin sighed. _Looks like I'll be babysitting Gwaine for the night to make sure he doesn't take anything. Not exactly how I wanted this to go. _

Thirty minutes later, five more glasses of beer for Gwaine, and Merlin was sitting on a couch in a somewhat quiet room with Lance near the back of the house, watching a rather drunk Gwaine's repeated attempts to flirt with the girls at Morgana's party.

He leaned forward to set his half full glass of Pepsi on the coffee table and sat back. "You know, I haven't seen the girls since we arrived."

Lance looked at him. "Maybe I should try to get hold of them, make sure they're okay."

"That's probably a good idea."

"Will you be okay if I go find a quieter place to call Freya?" Lance asked.

Merlin smiled. "I'll be fine. Someone's got to keep Gwaine out of trouble."

Lance laughed. "That's for sure. I'll be back soon," and he got up, leaving Merlin alone.

He glanced around, making sure he knew where his friend was, and then leaned back, thinking. This place was seriously huge and full of tons of expensive things that he was surprised weren't broken already. He was also pleasantly surprised that he hadn't run into anybody that he knew; it would've been awkward to try to explain how he managed to get an invite to a posh party like this. Although…it would be nice to see if Arthur came to his sister's party. Merlin would be lying if he said he didn't want to see him again and not have one of them have to run off somewhere.

He was shaken out of his thoughts by someone dropping down on his left. He turned to see who it was, thinking maybe it was Lance or Gwaine but it wasn't. Merlin blushed as he jumped at the sight of Morgana Pendragon smiling at him.

"Hi," she said. "You're Merlin, right?"

"Um, y-yeah. Hi," he stumbled over his words. _Way to sound like a dork, Merlin._

"I've been looking for you."

Merlin swallowed. "Can I ask why?"

She smiled again. "I've just heard a bit about you and I was curious to meet you in person. So tell me. What do you do?"

"D-do?" _Damn, I really have to stop doing that._

"Yes. Do you work anywhere?"

Merlin swallowed again. "I work with Freya, at a bookshop in London. I doubt you've heard of it, it's rather out-of-the-way."

"Oh? What's it called? I'm always looking for a new book to read."

"Um, Albion Bookseller. I've been there a couple years, when I'm not in class," Merlin said.

Morgana's eyes lit up. "You're in school? What are you studying?"

"I'm, uh, working towards my master's in English."

"That's great! So, do you have a favorite literary period or author?"

Merlin blinked a couple times, surprised that Morgana was so interested in him. "Well, I have way too many favorite authors to list. As for literary period, I'm not sure I could pick one, although right now I'm studying the Romantic period. I doubt you know anything about that; not many people do."

"Maybe I could stop by Albion Bookseller and we can discuss our favorite authors?" Morgana said. "Maybe I can even convince my brother to come along with me." She gave him a knowing look and his stomach flipped. "Now, tell me more about the Romantic period. When was it and who were the prominent authors?"

Merlin was suddenly grateful for all the time he'd spent going over this stuff with Gwaine as he and Morgana talked. It was really nice to be able to talk to someone who was actually interested in what he was studying and he grew more animated the longer they talked. He felt totally comfortable with her, which he hadn't expected after finding out who her family was and seeing what her house looked like. When they'd exhausted the literary topic, Morgana asked him, "What happened to the friends you came with? Did they leave you all alone?"

Merlin thought she sounded like she hoped that that was what had happened. "Well, the girls went one way and Lance, Gwaine and I went another. Gwaine's around here somewhere, flirting with anyone in a skirt and Lance went to go and make sure the girls were okay."

"Are you dating Freya or Mithian?"

Merlin cheeks flushed. _Wow, she's straightforward. _"I, um, well, no. I'm not dating either of them. I'm not dating anybody at the moment."

Morgana nodded, seemingly to herself. "Why not? You seem like a great guy, I'm sure all the girls are after you."

He stammered, "I-I, uh, I'm gay." _Okay, this is really awkward._

"Oh, well, that makes sense from what I now know about you."

_Wait, she's not going to find a reason to leave or make fun of me? _He'd gotten those reactions more times than he'd cared to remember. There was this little nagging voice in the back of his mind telling him that she knew more than he'd told her. She was so unlike Arthur that finally he blurted out, "How can two siblings be so completely opposite each other?"

She looked surprised but recovered quickly. "Me and Arthur, you mean." When he nodded, embarrassed, she explained, "Arthur is my half-brother. We have the same father-Uther-but different mothers. Arthur's mum was Ygraine but she died just after he was born while my mother was Vivienne and she died almost ten years ago."

"Wow, that sucks."

"Yeah, and Arthur's had it worse than me, what with being the heir to the Pendragon fortune. Arthur's got all this pressure on him to be successful, to be like our father, and to be worthy of his inheritance. Sometimes I think he has a hard time being himself but lately I've seen the real Arthur poke through and I'm pretty sure I have you to thank for that." Morgana winked at him.

Merlin said, surprised, "What do I have to do with that?"

Morgana laughed. "Oh, sweetie, you don't care that he's the heir and he likes that. It allows him to focus on being himself and not who he's expected to be."

Merlin thought about that for a moment. "So, does he have any real friends?"

"He has a couple good friends who don't care about his money and of course there's me. We've gotten really close since Mother died. I hope one day he'll find someone he can be completely himself with who will give him the courage he needs to stand up to Father. So far, none of the girls have come even close to the kind of person my brother deserves." She studied him, then added, "I hope you don't mind me telling you all this, I'd like to think we're friends after our book discussion."

Merlin said, "I'd like to think we're friends, too, Morgana. And, I suppose, thanks for confiding in me. I never thought that someone like you and Arthur would have that much pressure." He hoped it sounded as sincere as he felt, but his mind had fixed on what she said before, about hoping for the kind of person Arthur deserved. Was it too much to hope that Arthur was gay as well?

"Anyway," Morgana said, "I should probably get back to making the rounds, make sure nothing's missing or broken and that nobody's drunk enough to have to be thrown out. So, I'll see you around, Merlin; either later on tonight or when I stop by Albion Bookseller. Here, give me your mobile." He handed it over and she put her number in then handed it back. She pulled out her own and smiled. "I sent myself a text from your phone so I'll have your number and now you have mine. Give me a ring if you ever want to talk books. Now, I really must go check on things."

After a quick glance at Gwaine, who was flaunting the V-neck he wore and was currently flirting with a tall redhead, Merlin said, "You don't need to worry about Gwaine. He's harmless, really, and he actually likes Freya. It's been great talking with you."

Morgana smiled at him as she stood. "You too, Merlin. Good to know your friend's harmless. Maybe I'll play matchmaker a bit before the night ends." She took a few steps away then turned back and said cryptically, "I approve, by the way." Merlin stared at her as she left the room, feeling slightly out of his depth, but happy to have met a fellow booklover and looked forward to her visit to Albion Bookseller.

Lance came back to the couch a couple minutes after Morgana left and apologized for ditching him. "I'm really sorry, Merlin. I didn't mean to leave you alone for so long. The girls are good; enjoying themselves on the other side of the house. I've actually been trying to find this girl I saw while I was on the phone with Freya. She's got dark skin, like chocolate, shoulder-length black hair and the most amazing brown eyes. She was wearing a white skirt with a pink top and it looked amazing on her." He sighed but quickly recovered and said, "I really am sorry."

Merlin waved off his apology. "No, it's fine. I actually had a nice long chat with Morgana, of all people." Lance looked surprised and Merlin added, "We were talking books. Turns out she's as big a fan of reading as I am."

"Morgana Pendragon, really? What is with you and the random encounters with the Pendragon siblings?" Lance asked, amused.

"Ha-ha, very funny, Lance. She's rather intimidating but she told me some things that I never really thought about before, like-"

Merlin was interrupted as Lance suddenly shouted "There she is!" and ran off after his mystery girl, leaving Merlin all alone again.

He sighed and glanced around to see if he could go over and hang with Gwaine but he was absorbed in a conversation with a really tall, super muscular guy now. _There goes that option. _Merlin settled back to people watch, always an interesting way to pass time. Ten minutes later, Merlin felt the couch dip slightly as someone dropped down onto it next to him. Merlin turned to his left to see who it was this time and felt his mouth fall open a little.

"Hey, Merlin. Didn't expect to see you here," Arthur Pendragon said with a smile.

* * *

**I'm really happy so many people like my story and your reviews make my day ! Sorry to end it here but it's a really long chapter. Now that they finally get to spend some real time together, what's everybody's predictions for how it'll go/end ? It'll be fun to read what you guys think. And, again, I love you all for reading and liking my story. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to see a new email about a new follower or review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Arthur parked his car behind his sister's in the driveway about an hour after Morgana's party started and got out, making sure to lock it behind him. You never knew what kind of people would show up to these things. Sometimes Arthur was sure she invited people she knew he didn't like just to annoy him. He made his way to the front door and walked right in; it was his place, too. He came back every now and then, for holidays usually, and Morgana liked to throw her parties here because it was bigger than her flat. Father never said no, just told her to make sure to clean up afterwards. He opened the hall closet and tossed his black leather jacket in, then headed to the room on his left.

Arthur nodded to the few people he considered acquaintances but didn't stop to talk to anyone, looking for his sister or Merlin since she said he would be here. That was kind of the only reason Arthur had come to the party. Near the end of the first room, Arthur had spotted one of Morgana's friends that he absolutely detested and was trying to avoid her. Why Morgana continually hung out with these people he would never understand. Caitlin Prescott was sure that he secretly liked her and practically threw herself at him whenever she saw him. That and she wanted part of the inheritance he would one day get. Thankfully, that would never happen. She wasn't even on his father's radar for accepted brides for Arthur.

"Arthur, dear! I've been wondering when you were going to get here, I've been waiting _ages_!"

_Damn it, _Arthur thought, pasting a polite smile on his face and turning around. "Hello, Caitlin. How have you been?"

Caitlin smiled at him. "I've missed you, Arthur. It's been _weeks_ since we last talked. Why haven't you called me?"

"I've been busy with the company." Arthur wished that he could tell her to sod off once and for all, but as a Pendragon he didn't have that option. Her father was one of their corporate partners so he had to be polite no matter how much he disliked her.

She slipped her arm through his and pulled him away from the door. "There's someone you simply must meet, Arthur," and he reluctantly accepted that he was going to have to make nice with more people he didn't like. Caitlin led him over to two young men in jeans and sports coats with glasses of wine in hand. They came to a stop in front of them and Caitlin gestured to the blonde man then the black-haired one. "This is James and Alex Hunter. You know my boyfriend, Arthur Pendragon, of course. Arthur, dear, their father owns Basetone Technologies."

Arthur carefully extricated his arm from Caitlin's, offered his hand for them each to shake and said, "Nice to meet you. I'm actually not dating Caitlin, however much she would like it. Do you work for your father at Basetone, then?"

"Arthur!" Caitlin pouted prettily.

James spoke up, "Caitlin's one for the dramatics, isn't she?" His brother laughed. "Yeah, Alex and I work for Dad. Alex does research and I work in development. Dad wants to partner with Pendragon Inc. for some of the new green technology we're working on, but so far nothing's come through. We're starting to lose some of our funding and Dad's getting pretty pissed about it."

_Ah, here it comes,_ Arthur thought.

"We're not asking for your help in pushing the deal through," Alex said. "That's not what we're here for. And we didn't want to talk to you; Caitlin did that." He sounded pissed that Arthur was even over here, which surprised him but he took his chance to escape.

He said, "Well, thanks for the heads-up. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go find my sister. Nice to see you again, Caitlin." Ignoring her pout, he twisted on his heel and tried not to look like he was running away.

In the next room, he was stopped several times by people similar to Caitlin, James and Alex. They drove him crazy on a good day. Three rooms in and Arthur was having trouble hiding his disgust with the people he was forced to associate with because of who he was. Times like this, Arthur felt like all anybody ever saw was the corporate Arthur, the rich kid who would one day run Pendragon Inc., instead of the real Arthur, who wanted to travel and do something for himself rather than for his father. It annoyed and sickened him that they didn't know the difference despite his having known most of them his whole life. They all wanted something from him and he tried to keep the conversations to a minimum until he found one of his few real friends and/or his sister.

The next room he entered he finally spotted Morgana but was unable to approach her. She was snogging Leon in the corner and Arthur made a disgusted face. His sister and his best mate; it was just too weird, even after a month of dating. Turning quickly away from them, Arthur made his way further into the room, keeping an eye out for Merlin since Morgana had said he would be here.

The further back in the house he got, the less people Arthur recognized, which he supposed was a good thing. Near the back, he finally spotted Percival talking to some guy in jeans and a gray V-neck that looked vaguely familiar. He stopped and stared at them for a moment, then shrugged and turned away. He made it a few steps before his memory kicked in. He stopped, frowning, as he remembered seeing the guy with Percival before. Arthur whirled around, realizing he did know him. He was one of Merlin's mates from when they passed each other on the street a week ago! He was the guy that had his arm around Merlin's shoulders and Merlin promptly threw off when he saw Arthur.

Excited, Arthur turned in a circle, assuming that since he was here Merlin wouldn't be too far. He scanned the room and spotted him. Merlin was sitting on a couch in the back of the room, alone, and Arthur headed over to him. He didn't think Morgana would really manage to have Merlin sitting alone when Arthur found him but thanked his lucky stars that Merlin was alone.

He made his way around the back of the couch to Merlin's left, planning on surprising him. Arthur dropped down onto the couch on Merlin's left and smiled as Merlin turned to look at him, a startled expression on his face and his mouth falling open a little. Arthur's smile widened as he said, "Hey, Merlin. Didn't expect to see you here."

It took a minute to sink in but then Merlin grinned at him, obviously thrilled to see Arthur. "Arthur!" Merlin exclaimed. "Yeah, I'm a friend of a friend who works for Pendragon Inc. so I was invited. It's great to see you."

"Great to see you, too," Arthur said. "So, why were you sitting all alone?"

"Oh, well, I was with a couple of my mates but they found girls to flirt with. I was just talking with your sister, Morgana, about ten minutes ago, though."

Arthur laughed. "Do I have to apologize for her?"

Merlin said hurriedly, "No, no it was nice. We talked about ourselves but mostly about books. I had no idea your sister was such a booklover." He hesitated before adding, "She's…straightforward."

Arthur sighed. "Yeah, Morgana can be really intimidating when she wants to be. And she really is quite the nerd; you should see the stuff in her room sometime." Merlin laughed and Arthur asked, "So, what's new with you? How's school going?"

"I'm good, not much going on in my life lately. I'm a bit of a homebody. I was wishing earlier that I'd stayed at home to work on my two essays due next week, but-" Merlin glanced at Arthur then looked away, blushing "I'm really glad I came to the party."

Arthur's heart skipped a beat and he was lost for words for a moment. Then Merlin asked, "So, what about you? What have you been up to?"

Arthur sighed again as he remembered the amount of work he'd been doing the past week. "Honestly, I could use a vacation. I run the Special Projects division of my father's company and he's been dumping more and more on me. Lately, it's been proposals, and projects, and budgets, and finding people who can work together with the minimum of problems but within the constraints of the proposal and…It gives me headache even thinking about it."

Merlin laughed and Arthur was sure his face reflected the exhaustion he felt. He continued, "Morgana's been a blessing with the hiring. She runs Personnel and usually does just the hiring, but she volunteered to help with the hunt. I'm incredibly grateful to her for taking up even a small part of what I have to do. There've been days where I've wished that I could just toss my computer out the window or throw things at the idiots I'm forced to work with."

Merlin laughed again and said, "I can completely sympathize with that. The people who stop by the bookshop I work at drive me crazy at times. I've had days like that, where you have to wonder about the future of the human race, and nobody can get you out of whatever bad mood you're in as a result."

It was Arthur's turn to laugh now, realizing as well that Merlin's eyes lit up when he laughed. Arthur said, "Maybe we could commiserate together one day."

"I'd like that." Merlin looked down and Arthur felt the need to change the subject.

"I'm going to go get a drink; you want anything?"

Merlin looked back up at him, apparently surprised by the non sequitur. "Sure. Um, grab me a Pepsi?" he said sheepishly.

Arthur asked, "You don't drink?"

Merlin explained, "Not usually, no. I don't really have a head for alcohol. Plus, tonight I'm designated driver."

Arthur nodded. "That's cool. I'll be right back then." He stood up and walked through the press of people to get to the drinks table. He stood there for a minute, taking deep breaths. He felt like a teenager again, his heart racing, and all because of Merlin. Arthur never thought he'd find someone who made him feel like this, especially after discovering he was gay. He'd had enough trouble finding real friends between that and his heritage, but Merlin didn't seem to care about that. There was something that kept drawing Arthur back in, kept him wanting to know more. It didn't hurt that Merlin looked amazing in his jeans and blue button-down.

Arthur took one last deep breath and filled a cup with Pepsi for Merlin and another with Dr. Pepper for himself because he certainly didn't want to be drunk while really talking with Merlin for the first time. He made his way back to the couch and Merlin, trying valiantly to keep from spilling any of their drinks. Arthur reached the couch and sat down as close as he could get to Merlin without them touching or making it too awkward and handed him his Pepsi. Merlin reached out to take it and his fingers brushed against Arthur's. They both blushed and Arthur's heart skipped a beat.

Merlin pulled his cup away quickly and stammered, "Th-thank you."

Arthur cleared his throat and said, "You're welcome." He took a swallow of his pop. "So, uh, are you in any other classes than the Romantics one?"

"Yeah. I have two other classes: Shakespeare and Milton. It's been great to just work on one author per class instead of multiple. This might sound a bit rude, but have you ever read anything by Shakespeare or Milton?"

"I was a big Shakespeare fan in university. _Romeo and Juliet, Othello, Hamlet, Macbeth, King Lear, The Tempest,_ I read them all. Now, Milton, I don't believe I've read anything by him."

Merlin asked, "_Paradise Lost_ ring a bell? That's his most famous work. It's pretty much the Bible in poetic form, but it's really good."

Arthur made a thoughtful noise. "I might have to try that. So, were you always a fan of the classics?"

"Ha, no. We didn't really have a lot of books at home when I was growing up and we were too far from the library so I made do with what my teachers gave me to read."

Arthur said, "Where did you grow up?"

Merlin shrugged. "Small village out in the middle of nowhere."

Their conversation moved on from there into an exchange of background information. By the time their cups sat empty on the table in front of them, Arthur had learned a great deal about Merlin and shared some things that he normally kept to himself, even from Morgana. He learned that Merlin grew up in a small village outside London called Ealdor with his mother, Hunith, and that his father had left them before Merlin was born. Merlin's best friend there was Will Sheppard and they went to university together in London. Arthur also was surprised to learn that Merlin came out that he was gay in middle school, back in Ealdor, that it made him practically an outcast and that Will was Merlin's first boyfriend, but Merlin couldn't handle Will's jealousy and broke up with him. He dated a couple other guys but it never lasted long.

Merlin worked odd jobs during the school year for money but always went home for holidays and summer break. Arthur learned that Merlin found Albion Bookseller the summer before his senior year, met Freya and started working there. From what Arthur knew of Merlin it seemed the perfect fit, and Merlin sounded like he loved it. He found out Merlin was currently in his second semester of his graduate program in English at Camelot University and that during his first semester he met Gwaine and Lance, Gwaine being in the same program as Merlin. He gestured to Gwaine and Arthur mentioned that Gwaine was talking to a friend of his, Percival. Merlin went on to say that Gwaine became his best friend since Will remained bitter about their break-up, and that was where he was now, except Gwaine kept trying to set him up because he was sure Merlin needed to get laid. Here Merlin laughed nervously and Arthur couldn't help but feel a little hopeful.

In turn, Arthur told Merlin about how he grew up without a mother for the most part, since she died giving birth to him. His father was not the warm and fuzzy guy and really wasn't made to be a single father so Arthur had lots of nannies. He told Merlin that when he was five, his father married Vivienne who had lost her husband and brought a daughter who was a year younger than Arthur along with her. Even at a young age, Arthur knew to protect her. He told Merlin how, when he was nine, he learned that he and Morgana actually shared a father and learned what half-siblings were. He told Merlin how mad he was at his father and how often he and Morgana fought. By then, Morgana was more than capable of protecting herself but he still defended her. Now, he didn't know how he'd survive without her, they were that close. Still fought, though it was more bickering than real insults.

Arthur told Merlin how he had dated a few girls in high school, but it never felt right. He just did it because it was expected that he would date the hot, popular girls, so he did. He told Merlin about coming out to Morgana that he was gay when he was a junior in high school and how she accepted it wholeheartedly without a whole bunch of fuss and how grateful he was for that. He didn't date again until he attended university, a couple guys here and there but since he was still learning, they didn't last long. He told Merlin how he started working for his father's company right after graduating with a Bachelor's in Business. His best friend, Leon, was working there, too. Arthur told Merlin about coming out to Leon a year later, that Leon avoided him for a couple days. Then he walked into Arthur's office one day and said he knew a couple guys he thought Arthur would like if he wanted Leon to set him up. After that, everything went back to normal between them.

Merlin asked, curious, "Did you ever come out to your father?"

Arthur laughed bitterly. "I would never do that unless I absolutely had to."

"Why not?"

Arthur shrugged. "Father has all these expectations and he's got my whole life planned out for me that I'm afraid to be myself for fear of letting him down. He is my father, you know? All I want is to make him proud and being gay is not something he'll accept. I assume you've heard about my father's famous temper?"

Merlin nodded.

Arthur said softly, "I guess I'm just afraid of what he'll do, what his retribution will be for ruining his plans for me. I'd hate to disappoint him so."

Merlin told him, "He's your father, Arthur. He'll still love you. You know, my mum told me when I came out to her that she always knew and was just waiting for me to gather my courage to tell her. I'll bet your father knows too, but won't say anything until you do."

"I know; maybe someday I will," Arthur replied. "I hardly ever stand up to him, though. He's so hard to argue with because it seems like he's always got a ready answer, plus it almost always turns into a shouting match between us."

"I'm sorry about that."

Arthur gave him a small smile, grateful for the support. "Thanks, Merlin. I really didn't mean to depress us both."

Merlin laughed a little. "It's alright, Arthur."

Just then they were interrupted by Gwen walking up to them holding hands with a tall, tanned guy who looked oddly familiar, just like the guy with Percival, oh, what was his name? Gwaine.


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

_Just then they were interrupted by Gwen walking up to them holding hands with a tall, tanned guy who looked oddly familar, just like the guy with Percival, oh, what was his name? Gwaine._

"Hey, Merlin, I'd like you to meet Gwen. Gwen, this is a good friend of mine, Merlin Emrys." The guy gestured to Merlin and Arthur frowned slightly.

Gwen held out a hand for Merlin to shake and said, "It's nice to finally meet you, Merlin. I've heard good things about you."

Merlin replied, "Nice to meet you as well, Gwen. I've heard nothing about you."

She laughed and the guy next to her turned red. Gwen suddenly turned to him. "Hi Arthur, when did you get here?"

"Hey, Gwen. I've been here…I honestly don't know. An hour and a half, two hours, maybe?" Arthur guessed. Merlin looked between the two of them before turning to Arthur and raising his eyebrow. "We're being rude, Gwen. Merlin, Gwen Thomas is Morgana's best friend and I've known her forever."

"Oh! Well, that explains it," Merlin said. "And, by the way, Arthur, this is Lance du Lac. I met him about the same time I met Gwaine. Lance, this is Arthur Pendragon."

Lance shook Arthur's hand, winked at Merlin, making him blush, and said, "Nice to finally meet you, Arthur. Heard a lot about you."

"Oh, really?" Arthur said, glancing at Merlin suspiciously.

Merlin cleared his throat and said, "Lance is a firefighter, Gwen. Did he tell you that?"

Gwen's eyes lit up and Arthur leaned over to whisper in Merlin's ear, "Gwen's always had a thing for firefighters." Merlin hid a laugh behind his hand and Arthur leaned back, pleased that not only had he avoided a potentially awkward moment but he made Merlin laugh again. He was quickly realizing that he loved making Merlin laugh.

Loud enough for the other two to hear, Arthur said, "Gwen works for the British Museum. She's a curator, specializing in history and artifacts from medieval Europe. If you want to know something about that period, Gwen's your go-to person."

Gwen blushed. "Arthur, you're embarrassing me. I'm really not that good."

Arthur shook his head. He was enjoying this; he could never embarrass Morgana so he delighted in doing it to Gwen. "She's brilliant, Lance. Really."

Merlin glanced at Arthur. "Does she do any consulting for Pendragon Inc.?"

Arthur shot him a surprised look. "You know, I don't think she does. But maybe we should. I'll talk to Morgana about it. What do you say, Gwen?"

"I'd love to!" Gwen beamed at him and he could see Lance give her hand a squeeze. He smiled to himself. Oh, Gwen had it bad.

Lance and Gwen pulled up a couple chairs to sit with them and Gwen asked, "So what have you two been talking about?"

Merlin shrugged. "Just getting to know each other."

Arthur nodded. "I'm so glad to find someone normal at this party to talk to. I swear Morgana just finds everybody I hate and invites them to her parties so they can annoy me."

The others laughed and Gwen insisted, "That's not true, Arthur. If she only invited people you hated then she never would have invited Leon, Percival, Elyan or me. And she certainly wouldn't have invited Lance, Gwaine and Merlin."

"And then we never would have become friends," Merlin said with a small smile.

Arthur smiled back at him. _How true that was. _"Now that would've been a travesty. So, Lance, any embarrassing stories to share about Merlin? Or should I tell you one about Gwen?"

"Arthur!" Gwen exclaimed, blushing.

"Alright, alright. How about one about my sister?" Arthur asked.

Arthur was in the middle of a story about a prank he had played on Morgana a few years ago that Gwen hadn't heard before. Merlin was smiling, hiding a laugh, and Arthur knew that he had already figured out how it played out. _He's quick, even Lance and Gwen haven't figured it out, and Gwen knows Morgana_, Arthur thought.

Just then, two girls came up to the group, one supporting the other. Arthur didn't recognize either of them. One had long straight brown hair with brown eyes and light skin. She wore a white blouse and blue knee-length skirt. The other was wearing black jeans and a black shirt underneath her turquoise jacket. Oh, god he knew what color it was. He'd obviously been spending too much time with his sister. She had very curly brown hair in a ponytail over her left shoulder, longer than the other girl's, light skin and matching dark brown eyes. She was also leaning against the other girl and she looked vaguely familiar; he couldn't figure out how he knew her.

"Merlin, Lance, there you are. I couldn't find Gwaine and I've been looking through the whole house," the first girl said.

Merlin looked worried. "Is everything okay, Freya?"

The girl who spoke, Freya, looked at the other girl and said, "Mithian's not feeling well. She threw up some in the loo already. I really think we should get her home. I'm sorry to pull you away from your conversation but…" Her voice trailed off apologetically. _Wait, I know that name. Didn't Morgana say something…Right! She works for Pendragon Inc. Now I know why she seemed familiar._

Merlin turned to Arthur. "I'm really sorry, Arthur, but I have to go. We all came in the same car and, well, I told you I was designated driver."

Disappointed but trying hard to hide it, Arthur said, "Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for, right?"

"Yeah." Merlin turned to Lance. "Hey, could you grab Gwaine? You're more convincing than I am." Lance nodded and walked off with Gwen.

Merlin got to his feet and Arthur followed suit, an idea forming. Merlin said, "I had fun hanging out with you. Too bad we have to cut it short."

_Perfect opening, thanks, mate._ "Say, why don't we swap phone numbers? You can text me next time you're free and we'll hang out. Without the craziness of a Morgana party around us, hopefully."

Merlin grinned. "I'd love to." They handed each other their mobiles and Arthur programmed his number into Merlin's, even adding a picture of himself that would come up on the screen before handing it back.

Lance and Gwen returned to the group, Gwaine in tow. Literally. Lance's hand was on his arm, dragging him over.

"Why do I have to go? I was having a great time talking with that chap," Gwaine complained.

His friends just shook their heads and Merlin said, "Mith's not feeling well, Gwaine. And I'm your ride so you're leaving."

Gwaine sighed, rather dramatically in Arthur's opinion, and then abruptly turned to him. "I know you. You're…Pendragon, right? Arthur?"

Arthur nodded. _Oh, he is definitely drunk. _"Yeah, nice to meet you, Gwaine."

Gwaine winked at Merlin. "Forget what I said before. He's a looker; you hold onto him, Merlin." Merlin's face turned bright red and he stared at his feet.

Freya spoke up, breaking the moment. "Guys, Mithian needs to rest. Can we go?" She turned to leave, helping Mithian turn. Lance and Gwen followed the girls.

Merlin looked up at Arthur one last time and said, "Bye, Arthur. I'll be sure to text you when I've got some free time. Maybe we can continue that discussion sometime."

"I look forward to hearing from you." Arthur inwardly winced. _God, how pompous did that sound? _"Bye, Merlin."

Merlin pulled Gwaine along with him and Arthur heard Gwaine pestering him about that last comment. He watched Merlin until he was out of sight and then dropped back down onto the couch with a sigh.

After a few minutes, Gwen came back after saying goodbye to Lance at the front door with Morgana and his friends with her. Morgana and Leon claimed the chairs Gwen and Lance had used. Gwen and Elyan sat on the couch, while Percival perched on the armrest. "So," Morgana said with a smirk, "how's Merlin?"

He scowled at her. "We talked, and, no. I'm not going to tell you what we talked about. I would, however, like to know what exactly you said to him."

She said, "I told him I would be stopping by Albion Bookseller one day so we can discuss favorite authors. You're welcome to join us."

Percival said, "Gwaine and I had a fun time trying to figure out which girls were dressed as whores and which ones were real whores. He's a great guy, and Merlin's best mate, too."

Arthur opened his mouth to say something, he wasn't quite sure what, but Gwen beat him to it. "Lance is such a gentleman; I wish you could've met him, Morgana."

"Oh, I'm sure I will, Gwen." Morgana threw Arthur an annoyingly knowing look and continued, "It seems like most, if not all, of us made new friends tonight. And all somehow connected to Merlin. So, did you ask him out, Arthur?"

"Are you seriously asking me that, Morgana?"

Leon said, "I believe that's a no, love."

Morgana said, "I have to agree."

"Did you at least get his number?" Leon asked. Arthur was sorely tempted to throw something at his best mate and sister.

Gwen grinned. "They programmed their numbers into each other's mobiles. And made tentative plans to hang out again."

"Why do I willingly hang out with you people again?" Arthur groaned.

"Because we're your friends and your sister," Elyan finally spoke up with a smile. Gwen's brother was often quieter than Percival, and Percival hardly spoke.

The conversation moved on but Arthur wasn't really listening to it. He just kept going over what he'd learned about Merlin in his head. It seemed almost surreal and Arthur was almost positive that he was falling for Merlin, and falling hard. He missed the knowing looks his sister sent his way every now and then while he was thinking. All too soon, it seemed, the party ended, his friends were saying goodbye and he was helping Morgana clean up their father's house.

Arthur was steadily going room to room, shoving plastic cups into a giant garbage bag when his sister stopped him. "Arthur, I'm really glad you got to spend time with Merlin tonight. I haven't seen you like this in a long time and I'm happy for you."

He stared at her. "Thanks, Morgana. I really do like him, and…I think he likes me, too."

"Of course he does! I think it's wonderful you've fallen in love and I happen to approve of Merlin completely. He's perfect for you." She smiled at him again, a real smile, then whirled off somewhere.

Arthur paused a moment to think about what she'd just said. _Am I in love with Merlin? But how was that possible after one conversation? Maybe, maybe I am. But there is absolutely no chance in hell that I'm admitting to Morgana that she was right about me being in love with Merlin._

He moved on into the next room, feeling happier than he'd felt in weeks. And, oddly enough, it was partially thanks to Morgana and her inability to leave something alone. He should thank her. No, she might take that the wrong way and keep doing it. Arthur smiled as he worked. A text from Merlin would be the highlight of his day, no matter what it said or when it came.

* * *

**Hey, so I hope that Arthur and Merlin's first real time together wasn't a letdown to anyone. I hope you still like it and you're not unhappy with how it turned out. Darn, and out come my insecurities. Anyway, hope you like this chapter**


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Arthur walked into the lobby of his block of flats and into the lift. He set his grocery bags down on the floor and hit the number for the fifth floor. Saturday afternoons were rapidly becoming the time he did his food shopping. The lift dinged and the doors opened to his floor. Arthur reluctantly picked up his multiple bags and stepped off the lift into the hall. He made his way to his front door where he had to fumble to pull his keys out of his pocket without dropping his grocery bags at the same time.

He finally managed to unlock and open his door and walked in, kicking the door shut behind him. Dumping his bags on the kitchen table, Arthur started to empty them and put things away. His mobile rang while he was emptying bags. He pulled it out of his pocket, hit answer without looking at who it was, shoved it between his left ear and shoulder and said, "Hello?" He picked up a carton of milk and headed over to open the fridge.

"Hey, Arthur? It's Merlin."

Arthur almost dropped the milk carton. "Hey, Merlin, what's up?" They'd texted a lot since the party a month ago, but hadn't really managed to get together more than a couple times since then. He wondered what Merlin wanted.

"So, you know that James Bond film that just came out?" Arthur thought Merlin sounded a little nervous as he closed the fridge and leaned against the counter.

"Yeah, _Skyfall, _right?" It was actually on Arthur's list of new movies to see.

Merlin said, "Yeah, well, the guys and I-I mean, Gwaine, Lance, Will and I-are going to see it this evening and I wanted to know if you wanted to come? We haven't really had the chance to hang out and I thought, well, do you want to see it?" He sounded really hesitant and nervous now. Maybe he thought Arthur would say no?

Arthur was actually secretly thrilled that Merlin would ask him to join him and his friends. "Sure, I'd love to go see _Skyfall _with you, but are you sure I wouldn't be intruding on your time with your friends?"

Merlin said softly, "You are my friend, Arthur."

_Oh, well, can't say no to that. Not that I was going to say no, anyway. _There was a pause as Arthur made sure that he didn't have any plans with his father or anyone. He came up blank just as Merlin started to babble, trying to take the invitation back. _He must think I don't want to go. Idiot, you waited too long to answer!_

Arthur interrupted Merlin and said, "Don't even think about taking the invitation back. I've been wanting to see it and I'd be happy to hang out with you and your friends. Just tell me where and when to meet you."

He wasn't positive but he thought he'd heard a sigh of relief before Merlin said, "We're meeting outside the Mercian Cinema at 7:00 p.m. The movie starts at a quarter after."

"Cool. I'll meet you there," Arthur said and they hung up. Arthur smiled as he continued to put his groceries away.

* * *

Merlin set his mobile down on the table, thrilled that Arthur had agreed to come. He looked up at Lance across the table from him and said, "He's coming. He'll meet us in front of the cinema. You're sure, though, that it's okay if Arthur comes?"

Lance said patiently, "Yes, Merlin. You like him, right?" Merlin nodded and Lance continued, "It's obvious from the way he acted at the party and the way he looked at you that Arthur likes you too. And since he's most likely going to be spending a lot of time with us and become a permanent part of our group, we should get to know him as best as we can. It'll make him more comfortable as well, which is only a good thing. Gwaine agrees with me, by the way."

Merlin was still unsure. "I know you and Gwaine are okay with it, but I'm worried about Will. We haven't really gotten on well since the break-up and I know he doesn't like that I like Arthur."

Lance shook his head. "We just want you to be happy. Don't worry about whatever Will says or does because he is just jealous that you've found someone other than him that makes you happier than he did. Friends are supposed to make space in the group for their friends' significant others and that's what we're doing."

Merlin relaxed, convinced that he was panicking for no reason. The phrasing of Lance's last reassurance hit him and he teased, "So are we supposed to make space for Gwen one day, too? Just like you guys are doing now for Arthur?"

Lance blushed and mumbled, "Maybe." He took a sip of his coffee. Recovering, he added, "It'll all work out tonight, Merlin. Don't worry. We'll all go to the movie, then out for coffee or something and hang out, get to know each other."

Merlin nodded and they changed topics, finishing their coffees.

* * *

Merlin stood out in front of the cinema with Will when Gwaine and Lance showed up. He thought that it was funny how often the two of them showed up together, given that neither of them wanted anything other than friendship from the other. He checked his watch as Will greeted them. 7:05 p.m. Arthur was late. Granted, so were Lance and Gwaine but Gwaine was always late. Gwaine put a hand on his shoulder.

Merlin looked up and was surprised to see that Gwaine looked serious for once. Gwaine told him, "He'll be here, Merlin. I don't think tardiness is something those rich blokes do often."

Merlin sighed. "Thanks, mate. I'm just nervous. Should I be nervous? I mean, it's not like this is a date or anything; just friends seeing a film, right?" He laughed a little.

Lance came to stand in front of him. "It's understandable to be nervous, especially since you haven't spent any real time with Arthur since the party. Texting and phone calls aren't really the same."

Gwaine grinned. "Speaking from experience, there, Lance? Merlin, what was that girl's name that Lance fancied at the party?"

Merlin grinned as Lance turned pink. "Gwen, Gwen Thomas."

Will snorted. "Don't see why you had to invite that rich bloke to come with us, anyway, Merlin."

Merlin's grin fell. _Why are you being like this, Will? Sometimes I wish we didn't try to stay friends. _He didn't say that to him, but it turned out that he didn't have to.

Gwaine rounded on Will, pissed, and said, "You know, Will, we didn't have to invite you, either. And stop being such an ass just because Merlin's found an awesome guy and you're lonely. So either shut up for the duration of the night or go away because I am not going to have you ruin Merlin's first sort of date with Arthur, got it?"

Will scowled, but reluctantly said, "Fine. I'll keep my opinions to myself, since I'm the only who feels that way apparently. Can we go in yet? All the good seats will be taken already."

Merlin glanced at his watch again. It was almost ten after and still no sign of Arthur. With a sigh, he said, "I suppose we should head in." Lance gave him a sympathetic look but Merlin just turned away, not wanting to think about the fact that he may have just been stood up.

They had just reached the doors to the cinema when Merlin heard someone call his name. He turned around and saw Arthur running down the sidewalk to them. He slid to a stop in front of Merlin and his friends, gasping for breath, and said, "Sorry I'm late. I had a little trouble finding the place."

Merlin shook his head, relieved. "It's okay, there's still a couple minutes before it starts."

Arthur smiled apologetically and Will asked, "Why didn't you ask for directions?"

Merlin shot Will a warning look and said meaningfully, "It's fine. Everyone's here now so let's go in." Arthur looked slightly confused but fell into step next to Merlin as they all paid for their tickets separately and went into the theatre.

Gwaine led the way down the aisle, heading for the exact middle of the middle section of seats and sat down. "Perfect spot to watch the film from, am I right?"

Lance made sure to put Will between him and Gwaine so Merlin wouldn't have to deal with his sour mood the whole time and Merlin was grateful for it as he sat down between Lance and Arthur.

Arthur leaned over and said softly, "I really am sorry for showing up late, but it never occurred to me to call and ask for directions. The bus schedule kind of confused me."

_Damn it, Will, now you've made him feel bad, _Merlin thought with a mental sigh. Out loud, he told Arthur, "Don't worry about it; Will's just in a bad mood, is all. I am glad you made it, though."

Arthur flashed him a quick smile. "Me too."

The theatre lights shut off just then and the opening music started to play. The conversations stopped and the movie started.


	11. Chapter 11

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

**Okay, first off, before you guys read this chapter I just want to apologize in advance for any fans of James Bond out there. I don't know all that much about the old movies, and I have yet to actually see Skyfall, I just know it's the newest one out there. So, no flames over that :D**

* * *

Two and a half hours later, the five of them walked out of the cinema. Arthur was walking between Merlin and Gwaine, discussing the merits of the newest Bond flick versus the older ones with Gwaine. He got the feeling that Merlin wasn't as big a fan of James Bond as his best friend was.

Gwaine said, "That was by far Daniel Craig's best Bond film to date. The first couple movies with him were good but this one was more what Bond should be, like the old films with Pierce Brosnan."

Arthur nodded. "I completely agree. I really liked that it was more personal this time around, what with the attack on MI6 to get revenge on M. Brilliantly done, too."

"Agreed. But I still say that Brosnan's the best Bond there was."

"Oh, come off it. Brosnan's second best; Connery's the best Bond," Arthur disagreed.

Gwaine turned to Merlin. "What do you think, mate? Who's the best Bond?"

Merlin shook his head. "I haven't seen enough of the old movies to really have an opinion on that, Gwaine, sorry."

Gwaine shook his head. "Just say Connery, Merlin. We all know you want to side with Arthur."

Merlin turned pink and Arthur bumped his shoulder as they walked. "Don't worry about it, Merlin. I'll just have to educate you about the history of James Bond someday."

"That would be a fun night, if you don't mind my comments. Gwaine and I usually like to pick the movies apart as we watch them," Merlin said.

"Nah, that's cool. It'll be like having my own DVD commentary." Arthur grinned at Merlin. Were they making plans for a date? Because as much as Arthur would love that, he would prefer to ask him out when there wasn't an audience around.

Behind them, Arthur heard Will snort and closed his eyes for a second. Will might be the only one of Merlin's friends he didn't like. Lance said, "So what do you guys want to do next? I think there's a Starbucks around the corner if anyone wants coffee."

Gwaine turned around and, walking backwards, said, "Coffee sounds great, Lance. And donuts; I love donuts!"

Merlin laughed and Arthur smiled. Gwaine sure was a character. "Coffee's fine," he offered.

"Majority rules!" Gwaine said and as he turned back around he tripped over his own feet. Arthur reached out to catch him before he fell, remembering when he kept Merlin from falling on the tube the second time they met. Gwaine grinned at him as he regained his balance. "Thanks, Arthur."

"No problem, Gwaine. Figured it would be best if I kept Merlin's best friend from doing a face plant into the middle of the sidewalk," Arthur said with a laugh. Everyone but Will laughed as well as they turned the corner.

Ten minutes later they were settling into a booth in Starbucks with their drinks, Arthur sitting in between Merlin and Will with Lance and Gwaine across from him. He looked around at them, surprised at how quickly Lance and Gwaine had pretty much completely accepted him into the group. It was surprising, but he was also pleased because it meant he'd made a good impression on Merlin's friends. That was important to him as he wanted to spend as much time as he could with Merlin and if his friends didn't like him…well, Arthur didn't want to think about that.

He took a sip of his coffee, listening to Gwaine trying to prove to them that Pierce Brosnan was still the best James Bond, and caught Will scowling at him out of the corner of his eye. Will had either been giving him dark looks or ignoring him all night. _I wonder just how bad their break-up was, if Will's this jealous of even a potential boyfriend,_ Arthur thought as he leaned back. He arm brushed against Merlin's and they both jumped like they'd been hit by a jolt of electricity. Luckily, no one noticed.

Merlin cleared his throat and said, "Gwaine, what's wrong with all the other actors who played James Bond? There were, like, four of them, right?"

Gwaine shook his head sadly. "Oh, Merlin. So lacking in basic British knowledge. Six, Merlin. There were six actors who portrayed the most famous spy in all of the United Kingdom. Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan, and Daniel Craig."

"George Lazenby was only in one movie, though, so people tend to forget about him," Arthur put in. Merlin shifted slightly and his leg brushed against Arthur's. His heart skipped a beat and he wondered if Merlin did it on purpose.

"Will? Any opinion?" Lance asked, apparently trying to draw the quieter young man into the conversation.

Will shook his head. "I'd rather not get into an argument with Gwaine. No offense."

Gwaine just shrugged and turned back to Arthur. "Okay, so I take it you don't like Pierce Brosnan at all?"

Arthur said, "No, that's not it. I just think his acting style isn't right for James Bond."

Merlin got up out of the booth then. "I'll be right back, guys."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?"

Merlin hesitated before saying, "I have to go to the loo. Try not to bite Arthur's head off, okay, Gwaine? It's just a fictional character."

Gwaine grinned at Merlin. "No promises, mate." Merlin shook his head and walked off.

As soon as he was out of sight, Lance and Gwaine turned to Arthur, looking incredibly serious. _Whoa, okay. Something's going on here. _"Is something wrong?" he ventured to ask them.

Lance glanced at Gwaine. "You want to start or shall I?"

Gwaine said, "You start. I'll jump in as needed." Lance nodded. Arthur was starting to worry.

Lance leaned forward, clasped his hands on the table, and fixed Arthur with a serious expression. "Alright, Arthur, listen up. This is your one and only warning," Lance began and Gwaine nodded. "We know you like Merlin as more than a friend, anyone can see it. And he feels the same way but won't say anything because he doesn't want to be rejected. We will tell you this once and that's all the warning you get. If you hurt Merlin, doesn't matter how, we will make you regret ever knowing us or him. Understand?"

Arthur nodded. _Wow, they're really serious._ "I want to let you know that I have absolutely no intention of ever hurting Merlin. I promise you."

"Good," Gwaine said. "Make sure you keep that promise, Arthur. And, by the way, there's no need to mention this conversation to Merlin."

Arthur asked, curious, "Do you do this to all of Merlin's new friends?"

Lance said, "Just the ones who have a potential to become something more. Usually this scares them off, but somehow I don't think you'll be like them."

Gwaine added, "Merlin's the best guy you could ever hope to know, but he's also very sensitive. Just ask Will, here. So, at the risk of sounding repetitive, this is your one and only warning to be careful with him."

Arthur nodded. "I understand. I promise to do my absolute best not to hurt Merlin. He's lucky to have friends like you who care so much about him."

"Yup," Gwaine said. "Don't forget that."

Merlin came back just then, slipping back into the booth until his leg hit Arthur's and stayed there. Arthur's throat went dry and he hurriedly took a gulp of his coffee. Merlin asked, "So what were you guys talking about while I was gone?"

Gwaine's seriousness had vanished the instant Merlin returned and he pouted. "Arthur refuses to accept that Pierce Brosnan is better than Sean Connery."

Lance sighed. "Oh, would you just give it up, Gwaine? Agree to disagree if you have to, but I am sick of listening to you repeat yourself."

Will changed the subject for them. "How are your classes going, Merlin, Gwaine? Last I heard, you were waiting for your essays to be graded."

"Ugh," Gwaine groaned. "I am so not looking forward to getting Professor Kilgarrah's essay back. I'm sure I'm going to get an F."

"You're not going to get an F, Gwaine," Merlin reassured him. Arthur sat back, content to listen and think a little. Now he knew that Merlin liked him as much he liked Merlin, this was his chance to make a move. It would have to be later, though, when Lance, Gwaine and Will weren't around. Maybe he could find a way to talk to him alone after they left Starbucks.

They spent an hour or so in Starbucks, just talking about whatever came to mind, and Arthur got on brilliantly with everyone but Will. Arthur was sure that Will was determined to hate him just because of who he was and because he had designs on Merlin. Will seemed to be the only one who kept making cracks about rich people but since they ignored him, Arthur did as well.

One of the workers came by the table and said, "I'm sorry, guys, but we have to close up. You're going to have to go somewhere else."

"No problem, mate," Gwaine said cheerfully. He got up and the others followed suit, dumping their empty coffee cups in the trash as they made their way to the door.

Once outside, Lance stuck his hand out to Arthur. "It was nice hanging out with you, Arthur. We should do it again sometime."

Arthur took his hand and shook it. "I'm glad you invited me to come along. I think Gwaine and I are going to have to continue our James Bond discussion someday soon."

Gwaine nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, most definitely! I will bring you over to my side, to the dark side." They laughed and he added, "It was fun, Pendragon. Nobody else knows Bond well enough to argue with me as well as you did."

"Glad to be of service. I think," Arthur replied hesitantly. He turned to Will, wondering what to say. He went with the generic. "It was nice to meet you, Will."

Will shrugged. "Yeah, whatever, Pendragon. Wasn't my decision to invite you but you did manage to keep Gwaine from annoying the rest of us too much, so…" _Okay, then, _Arthur thought, turning back to the others.

Lance said goodbye to Merlin, Gwaine hugged him, and the two of them set off walking along the sidewalk, headed for the tube. Will flagged down a taxi and got in without saying anything. Arthur glanced at Merlin sidelong. He'd been oddly quiet during this whole thing. "So," Arthur ventured, "which way are you headed?"

Merlin pointed over his shoulder in the opposite direction of Gwaine and Lance. "I live a few blocks from here."

"Mind if I walk with you?" Arthur asked. Merlin shook his head and they started off.

The first block and a half was awkward silence but then Merlin asked, "So what's your favorite movie?"

Arthur had to think about that for a moment. "I'm not sure I have one favorite movie. I have a couple favorite movie series, though."

"Like what?"

"Oh, um, James Bond, obviously." Merlin laughed and Arthur, cheered by that, continued, "I like the _X-Men_ series well enough, and _Harry Potter_, _Lord of the Rings_, _Star Wars_, the _Die Hard's_."

"What was your favorite of the_ X-Men _trilogy? Personally, I couldn't bring myself to watch _The Last Stand_ more than once."

Arthur said, "I really liked _X2_, but yeah, _The Last Stand_ was just too depressing. Morgana cried so much when we watched it."

Merlin nodded. "Gwaine made fun of me, but I cried some too."

They talked about their favorite movies as they walked. Arthur was happy to learn that Merlin's favorite movies were pretty much the same as his and they discussed visual effects of Lord of the Rings versus Narnia and the similarities between the two. By the time they'd moved onto trying to decide whether the new _Star Wars_ trilogy was better than the original trilogy, they'd arrived at Merlin's place.

Merlin stopped in front of the building and said, "Well, this is where I live. I know; it's nothing like your place."

Arthur shook his head and disabused him of that notion immediately. "Merlin, the party was at my father's house. I don't live there; not since I went to university. I have my own flat."

"Oh," Merlin said and looked down. "Well, goodnight." He started up the steps to the front door and Arthur followed him.

Merlin stopped in front of the door to the building and said, "You know, I'm glad you and my friends got along tonight."

"I had fun. They're good guys, just looking out for you like friends should," Arthur said, his heart pounding in his chest at their closeness.

Merlin smiled, his eyes shining in the moonlight, and he looked so beautiful that Arthur wanted to kiss him, to know what his lips would taste like on his. It would probably be wonderful. His eyes dropped from Merlin's eyes to his lips. What would Merlin do if he kissed him? Arthur wanted, no, he needed, to kiss Merlin, to know what it felt like. He closed the distance between them in a step, pressing his lips to Merlin's. For a moment, Merlin didn't do anything and Arthur pulled back, embarrassed.

He stuttered, "I-I'm sorry. I just-"

Merlin cut him off mid-sentence by kissing him back. Arthur was right; it was amazing. Kissing Merlin felt perfect. There was a rush of heat between them and his heart raced. Needing more he ran his tongue across Merlin's lips, seeking entrance. Merlin gave it and the kiss deepened. Merlin moved closer until their bodies pressed against each other. Arthur reached a hand out to the back of Merlin's head, tangling his fingers through his hair, and wrapped his other arm around Merlin's waist. Merlin put an arm around his waist and his other hand pressed against the back of Arthur's neck, deepening the kiss even more. Arthur lost track of time.

They finally pulled apart, breathless, a few minutes later, their arms still wrapped around each other. Arthur whispered, "Will you go out with me? On a real date, without your friends around?"

Merlin whispered back, "Yes. Of course, yes." Then he kissed him again. Arthur couldn't believe his good fortune. Merlin finally pulled away and said, "I really should go, but call me."

Arthur could only nod as Merlin pulled out his keys, unlocked the door, and stepped inside with one last smile for Arthur.

Arthur walked down the steps to the street and caught a cab. He told the driver his address and spent the ride in a sort of daze. All this time, pining over Merlin-not something he would ever admit to Morgana-only to have one magic moment bring them together. He had to pick the right place to go for their first date. Maybe Morgana would have an idea. Morgana! He should give her a ring when he got home; she would be so happy for him.

"Hey, buddy, you gettin' out or what?" The cabbie broke through his daze.

Arthur shook his head. "Sorry, man. Here." He paid the driver and got out. Pulling his keys out, he unlocked the door to the block of flats he lived in and rode the lift to his floor.

He opened his door, took his jacket off and threw it over the back of the couch, dropped onto the couch, pulled out his mobile and called his sister.

She answered after three rings. "Arthur, it's almost midnight. Is something wrong?"

Arthur leaned his head against the back of the couch and said, "I just had the best night ever, Morgana."

"What happened?"

"I did it," he said. "I asked Merlin out."

"And? Don't make me wait, Arthur, it's not nice."

Arthur smiled to himself. "We kissed."

Morgana squealed so loudly that Arthur had to pull his mobile away from his ear with a wince. "That's wonderful! Oh, Arthur, I'm so excited for you!"

He laughed. "Thanks."

Morgana said, "Oh, but, wait. Did he say yes or no? Because he could just be playing hard to get, which means we'll need a game plan so that we-"

"Morgana?" he interrupted. "He said yes and told me to call him."

Morgana was silent for a minute. Then, "I knew it. I knew as soon as I met him that you two were perfect for each other. I'm coming over tomorrow. I want to hear everything, in detail, and then we can discuss potential date sites."

"Thanks, sis," Arthur said and he meant it.

"Goodnight, big brother. We'll talk more tomorrow," Morgana replied and hung up.

Arthur stayed on the couch for a few more minutes then went into his room to get ready for bed. He fell asleep with a smile on his face.


	12. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Merlin stepped into his flat, closed the door and leaned back against it with a sigh. Not what he was expecting to happen when he invited Arthur to come see a movie with him and his friends but it was definitely better that it ended this way. Being alone with Arthur, kissing him…it all felt so right. Like they were meant to be. Like they were always together. He'd felt it the moment Arthur's lips touched his. Merlin put his fingers to his lips at the memory. He smiled. He had to tell someone. Will would normally have been his first choice but after the way he treated Arthur tonight there was no way he was going to tell Will anything. Gwaine! Gwaine would want to hear; and he'd probably still be with Lance.

He pushed himself away from the door and pulled out his mobile. Hitting speed dial for Gwaine, Merlin flopped onto the couch and stared at the ceiling as he waited for his friend to answer his phone.

"Merlin! Tell me Pendragon didn't ditch you and you need a ride home," Gwaine said.

Merlin had to laugh. "No, Arthur did nothing like that. In fact, he did the complete opposite."

"What exactly is that supposed to mean?"

Merlin closed his eyes as he told Gwaine, "He asked me out."

Gwaine exclaimed, "What! Hang on, let me get Lance in on this." Merlin smiled; he knew they'd be together. "Okay, go on. When did he ask you out?"

_This next bit of information is sure to make them speechless, _Merlin thought. Teasingly, he said, "After he kissed me."

Silence greeted him. Then Lance said, "Can you repeat that?"

"Arthur kissed me on the front steps of my building. And then he asked me out."

Gwaine admonished, "You had better have said yes, Merlin, or I will call and tell him for you."

"Relax, guys, I said yes. I just had to tell someone and you're my best mates, so…"

"This is great, Merlin!" Gwaine exclaimed. "Where's he taking you?"

"Gwaine, give him a day to figure it out. They've only just agreed to go out," Lance scolded him.

"I told him to give me a call."

"No," and Merlin could practically hear Gwaine shaking his head. "He should've had at least an idea of when to go out."

Lance sighed through the speaker. "Maybe he didn't know the whole kissing thing would happen, mate."

"So I have to wait to find out where he's taking Merlin and when? How am I supposed to help him prepare when I don't know anything?"

"You don't know anything on a good day, Gwaine," Lance retorted. "You'll just have to wait until Arthur calls, like the rest of us. Then we can help him figure out what to wear."

Merlin interrupted, "Sorry to interrupt, but this does happen to be my future date, and the best night I've had in a while and you are really ruining the great mood I was in after kissing Arthur."

"Sorry," they chorused.

"Thank you. Now, I'm going to bed."

Gwaine said, "Call us the instant after Arthur does, got it?"

Merlin rolled his eyes and sat up. "I will. Now, goodnight, Gwaine, Lance."

"Night, Merlin," Lance replied. Gwaine echoed him.

Before hanging up, Merlin added, "Thanks for the input, though, guys. I'm glad I can talk to you about this."

Lance answered, "It's what friends do."

"Thanks again," Merlin said then hung up. He went to bed wondering when Arthur would call and what their first real date would be like.

* * *

Morgana had been over at Arthur's flat for over an hour now and had demanded to know everything that had happened last night, in detail and several times. It may have been a Sunday, but the Pendragon family had never been really religious so there was no point asking when he'd be back from church. She'd brought Indian takeout for lunch and then they'd talked. Now, however, she asked, "So where are you taking him and when are you going?"

"Well, Percival's uncle owns a mini-golf course. I was thinking of taking him there and then out for ice cream afterwards. The Ice Box is just down the street," Arthur said. He'd thought about doing something indoors but nothing came to mind until he remembered his friend. Admittedly, that wasn't indoors either, but it was the first thing he'd thought of.

Morgana tilted her head to the side. "That's a first date for, like, teens and pre-teens, Arthur. Can't you think of anything better?"

"Like what?" he retorted. "If he's bad, I get to help him and that gives me an excuse to touch him. Where else would I be able to do that? Besides, I already know he's bad at sports. And everyone loves ice cream."

She thought about that for a minute then abruptly nodded. "Okay, I can see the point in that. Very sneaky; I like it. Okay, next question. When, then, are you going to go?"

Arthur had to stop and think about that. Morgana said, "Talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking; maybe I can help."

"Well, he has classes Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. He works at the bookshop on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm not sure what he does on weekends, if he works or not. Or if he has standing plans with his friends on Friday nights. What do you think? Should I just go with Friday or Saturday?"

"I'd go with Friday. Percival can get you two in before the rush and probably for a discount, as well," Morgana told him.

Arthur nodded. "Good idea."

"So what are you waiting for? Call him!"

"Now?" Arthur asked, surprised.

Morgana rolled her eyes. "Yes, now, you idiot."

"What about that whole wait three days rule?"

"Arthur, that is so old school. You want to make plans now so nothing can interfere later on in the week. Call him."

Arthur got up from the couch and into the kitchen where he'd left his mobile on the counter. He dialed Merlin's number and leaned back against the counter, tapping his fingers on it nervously. Morgana followed and stood next to him.

After two rings, Merlin picked up. "Hello?"

"Hi, Merlin. It's Arthur."

"Hey! What's up?"

"I just wanted to-"

"Excuse me, sir, but do you have anything about early Irish authors here?" Arthur heard someone say over the line.

"Sorry, Arthur, a customer came in and needs my help. Give me a sec?"

"Sure."

Morgana said, "What's going on? Why haven't you asked him?"

He glared at her. "He's with a customer right now. Go away." She didn't move so he did, heading for his bedroom. She followed him.

Merlin came back on. "Sorry about that. James was supposed to handle the front desk but I guess he's out on a delivery. So what did you need?"

"Are you doing anything Friday?" he asked as he walked into his room.

"Just ask him already!" Morgana said, sounding exasperated.

"Go away!" Arthur shouted back, shutting the door in her face. She swore at him from the other side of the door.

"Something wrong?" Merlin asked.

"My sister doesn't understand the meaning of a _private conversation_!" Arthur said loudly.

Morgana shouted through the door, "I'm your sister; you don't get to have anything private!"

"My relationships are private! Now, go away!"

He heard Merlin laughing on the other end of the line. "Your sister sounds like Gwaine. He can be remarkably persistent when he wants to know something."

"Morgana is always shoving her nose in other people's business, most especially mine. She seems to think she needs to know _everything _I do."

Merlin returned to their original topic. "So what were you asking me before?"

Arthur's heart was pounding in his chest as he said in a rush, "I wanted to know if you wanted to go out on Friday. My friend's uncle has this mini-golf course and I thought we could play a round and then go out for ice cream?"

_Thunk._

"Merlin? Are you okay?" Arthur asked, worried. He was afraid that Merlin hated the idea or had changed his mind and didn't want to go out with him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just tripped over a book someone left lying around. So, mini-golf."

"I…yeah."

"Sounds fun. I haven't been since Gwaine threw his club at the windmill and broke it. The windmill, I mean. Not the club."

Arthur laughed, "Having met Gwaine, I can believe it. So…is that a yes?"

He could hear Merlin smile through the phone as he replied. "It's a yes. You're either going to have to give me directions or pick me up, you know."

Arthur swallowed. "I'll, uh, text you the address. Meet up at, say, eight?"

"Works for me. See you then, Arthur."

"See you then, Merlin." They hung up and Arthur opened the door to his bedroom.

Morgana immediately pounced on him. "What did he say? Did he say yes?"

"Jeez, Morgana, take a breath. He said yes; we're meeting at the course at eight on Friday."

"Perfect! Now, what are you going to wear?"

"Morgana," Arthur groaned. "It's not til the end of the week. I have plenty of time for that."

She walked into his room and started going through his clothes. "That's what you think, but time will fly by and then you'll be calling me in a panic because you don't know how dressy or casual to dress. Then, of course, you'll also have forgotten how to match colors. Or the clothes that you wanted to wear are in need of being washed and you don't have time to do that."

He followed her into his room and leaned against the doorframe, hands in his pockets. "Am I really that bad?"

She gave him a look that said exactly that then turned back to his closet. "Don't worry. I'll have the perfect outfit picked out for you."

He sighed and resigned himself to an afternoon of listening to his sister insult the contents of his closet. It was a small price to pay for her help in getting a date with Merlin. He hoped.


	13. Chapter 13

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Merlin got off the bus stop outside Avalon's Miniature Golf a little before eight and looked around for Arthur. He straightened his light grey t-shirt over his jeans nervously. It was warm enough out that he didn't need a jacket. Gwaine had turned into a complete girl when he had come over earlier with Lance to help him get ready for his date with Arthur. He kept going on and on about what colors looked better with his hair or his eyes and what would match Arthur's coloring better. Merlin smiled at the memory of Lance throwing a pillow at Gwaine to make him shut up.

"Something you'd like to share with the class?"

Merlin whirled around. Arthur was leaning against a lamppost wearing a black t-shirt, his hands stuffed in his jeans pockets. "Hi."

Arthur walked over to him. "Hi. You ready?"

"It's been a long time since I've done this, so I might be pretty bad," Merlin warned him as they walked up to stand in line.

"As long as you don't break any of the attractions, we'll be good." Arthur smiled at him.

_Well, he doesn't seem as nervous as I feel. Maybe I'm worrying about nothing._ Merlin thought as the family in front of them paid and moved away.

"Arthur! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?" Merlin refocused on what was going on and realized that the guy working the booth was the same tall, muscular guy that Gwaine had been talking to at the party.

Arthur shifted his feet. "Hi, Percival. I didn't know you were working here tonight." The tone of his voice made Merlin think that Arthur had hoped not to run into his friend.

Percival shrugged. "The girl who was supposed to take this shift got sick and I was the only one available. So who's this?"

Merlin glanced at Arthur, unsure of how he was playing this to his friend. How was he supposed to know if he was out to his friends or not?

Arthur returned his look with a wink then put a hand on his shoulder and announced, "This is Merlin Emrys. Merlin, this is my friend Percival."

Percival nodded. "It's nice to finally meet you, Merlin."

"Nice to meet you as well, Percival." _I seem to hear the "finally" part quite a lot. Do all of his friends know about me?_

"So," Percival turned to Arthur and raised an eyebrow, "do I dare to hope that you've finally plucked up your courage to ask him out?"

Arthur turned red and gritted his teeth. "Yes, Percival, this is a date. Thank you very much for announcing it to the whole park."

_Scratch that. Definitely as nervous as me. _Percival winked at Merlin. "We've been waiting for him to ask you out since Morgana invited you to her party. So, what color golf balls do you two want?"

"Wait," Merlin said. "Was that the only reason I was invited? Morgana wanted to set me up with you?"

Arthur wouldn't look him in the eye. "Kind of. But I swear I didn't know until after it was already planned! I wasn't originally going to go, but then she mentioned you would be there and well, that's pretty much the only reason I went. Don't be mad."

"How could I be mad? Look what came of it!" Merlin waved his hands between the two of them. Arthur raised an eyebrow and Merlin backtracked a bit. "Okay, I'm a little mad but I'll get over it. I promise. It's not like my friends haven't tried to set me up before. And I almost didn't go because I don't go to parties. You're lucky Gwaine is so persistent. One more question. Does everyone know about me?"

"Duh," Percival told him. "You're all Arthur's talked about since he met you." Arthur turned bright red at that and Merlin had to laugh a little.

"I think my friends would say the same," Merlin reassured him.

"Thanks," Arthur muttered. Then he glared at Percival and said pointedly, "Two clubs and two golf balls, please."

Percival turned to get them, laughing. "You never told me what colors, by the way."

"Blue," Merlin said. He could see why Gwaine got along with Percival. Their sense of humor was similar.

"Green," Arthur added, pulling out his wallet.

"Here you go," Percival said, setting them on the counter. He waved off Arthur's money. "Family discount, mate."

"Thanks!" Arthur said, surprised. Merlin was surprised, too, that Percival could get away with it.

They each grabbed a club and their requested golf ball and headed for the path to the courses. Percival called after them, "You two have fun!"

Arthur turned and yelled back, "You tell anyone about this and I'll kill you! I'm serious!"

Merlin laughed as Percival shouted gleefully, "Too late! Already texted Elyan and Leon!"

"You're a dead man, Percival!" Then they were around the corner and Arthur shook his head. "Sorry about that. I really didn't plan on running into him here."

"It's alright. Is he the friend whose uncle owns the place?"

"Yeah. That's why he wouldn't let me pay for us." They came to a stop at the signpost for the two courses. "So, easy or hard course?"

Merlin thought for a moment. All the families would most likely take the easy course, which meant that there would be hardly anyone on the hard course. "Let's take the hard course. You up for the challenge?"

Arthur grinned. "I bet I do better than you do."

"Challenge accepted."

They stepped up to the first hole. Arthur gestured for him to go first, and Merlin set his blue ball down, lined up his club and swung. The ball went flying down the green, bounced off a brick and rolled right over the hole.

Merlin managed to sink it after two more putts. He pulled it out and moved out of the way with an embarrassed smile. "I told you it's been a while."

"Good thing I grabbed a scorecard. Easiest bet I'll ever win," Arthur said with a grin as he lined up his own club and swung. Merlin noted with envy that Arthur's green ball went flying in almost the same direction as his, but hit the curve at the right angle to sink it for a hole-in-one.

As Arthur bent over to retrieve his ball, Merlin muttered, "Show-off."

Arthur's head snapped up. "Oh, come on! That was not showing off. When I show-off, you'll know it."

"Oh, really? Is that a threat or a promise?" Merlin shot back, but he saw the twinkle of amusement in Arthur's eyes.

They moved on to the next hole, Arthur pulling out the scorecard and a pencil as they went. "So that's a hole-in-one for me and a hole-in-three for Merlin. Time for round two."

Merlin mock-glared at him and he laughed as Merlin took a swing. This time it only took him two putts to sink it. Arthur again got a hole-in-one. The next few holes were similar. The traps started once they were about halfway through the eighteen holes.

Merlin's golf ball had rolled back down the hill three times and he was getting ready to just pick it up and chuck it up the hill when Arthur said from behind him, "You know, we never decided what the winner would get for winning or what happens to the loser."

Merlin blew his hair out of his eyes and hit the ball a fourth time. "Finally," he muttered as it crested the hill and rolled away from him. He walked after it. "Do we really have to do that? I mean, we already know you're going to win; I suck at this."

"Giving up already?"

"Hardly. But I still don't think I'm going to get suddenly good at this and catch up to you."

"We're only on the ninth hole; there's still time." Arthur's ball rolled back down the hill on his first putt and Merlin couldn't hide a smug smile that they both got caught up on the hill. He was amazed at how comfortable he was with Arthur, already teasing and joking with him like he did with his friends.

"Oh yeah. Halfway through the course and I'm behind by how much?"

Arthur checked the scorecard as he walked up the hill behind his green ball. "You're at, 27 right now. Which really isn't all that bad a score."

Merlin raised an eyebrow as Arthur sunk his ball in two more putts. "And your score is?"

Arthur grinned at him. "18."

Merlin shook his head, grinning back. It was impossible; Arthur's smile made him want to smile back. "Let's just see what horrors the next hole has in store."

Arthur threw his arm across Merlin's shoulders as they crossed the tiny bridge. "You want some help?"

"Is your help going to be anything like Gwaine's?"

Arthur stepped to the side as Merlin fished his golf ball out of his jeans pocket and dropped it on the ground. "You have to remember I've only met Gwaine once, Merlin. I only know what you've told me about him. What's his help like?"

"Throwing my ball into the bushes, usually. He likes to win." The ball bounced off the first obstruction but didn't make it to the second one and instead rolled back to him. With a sigh, Merlin bent over to realign.

"Does he really do that?"

The ball almost made it to the second obstruction but rolled back. Merlin scowled at it. "Yes. You're not counting these as putts, are you?" he asked as the ball returned to him for a third time.

Arthur laughed. "No, look, you need to get the angles right. You're hitting from the wrong spot to bounce off both the obstructions." He grabbed Merlin's waist and yanked him back a step, reaching around to move the golf ball to the new position with his foot.

Merlin's heart fluttered at the touch, and then skipped a beat when his back hit Arthur's chest. He swallowed as Arthur continued, "See? From this position, the ball will hit both obstructions at the right angle to make it over the hill if you hit it hard enough." He stepped back.

"You seem to know all the tricks. Been here often with your friends and dates?" He knew he was fishing but didn't care.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw Arthur shrug. "Friends, yes. Dates, no. The first and only girl I ever brought here was back in high school and she was bored and hated it. I didn't go out with her again after that."

The ball made it halfway up the hill before returning. Merlin swore then said, "The last time I went mini-golfing was with Gwaine, Lance and Will. Lance took forever when it was his turn, insisting on figuring out the precise mathematical equation that would allow him to make a hole-in-one. Gwaine acted like he was really golfing so we were constantly waiting for him to fetch his ball. It usually went into the bushes, but this one time it landed in the pond. I was so tempted to push him in."

Arthur laughed and Merlin missed his swing. "Sometimes we had to yell fore to warn the groups ahead of us that Gwaine was up. Will and I were dating at the time but we ended up sitting on the bench in silence until it was our turn." Merlin hit his ball again, it bounced off the first obstruction, hit the second, rolled up the hill and it looked like it would actually go over this time. Merlin swore again as it rolled back down to where he was standing.

Arthur laughed again and stepped up to stand behind him. "Okay, you get a freebie on this hole. You need to hit it harder or it won't make it over the hill."

Merlin's hands got sweaty as Arthur slipped his hands over Merlin's. Together they swung the club, Arthur's help making the ball go over and Merlin finally made a hole-in-one.

"Yes!" he exclaimed.

"You're welcome," Arthur said.

Merlin whirled around to thank him but the words died on his lips as he realized just how close they were. Their eyes met and Merlin's eyes drifted down to Arthur's mouth. The memory of their first kiss popped into his head and his breathing quickened.

Arthur leaned in. Their lips brushed together but they jumped apart as someone yelled, "Get a room!"

Merlin quickly turned away and said, "I'll just, uh, go get my ball out of the hole." He winced as he walked off. _Bad choice of words._

Arthur nodded several times. "Yeah, um, so. Hole-in-one, then, because I said that those first few wouldn't count, so my turn now."

Merlin waited at the next bit of sidewalk, trying to calm himself. He was unprepared for the instant attraction between them. It's not like they didn't have something between them before but he'd never felt like this with anyone. Not even with Will and their relationship was rather tumultuous. Arthur apparently had no compunctions about touching him or kissing him even though this was technically their first date.

Arthur retrieved his ball and looked up at Merlin. "You're up, mate."

"Sorry. Lost in thought," Merlin said with a nervous laugh.

As Merlin got set up for the next hole, Arthur said, "Tell you what. How about winner gets a kiss? That way both of us win. If you're okay with that."

Merlin finally made it past the obstructions on his first putt. Took me long enough, he thought. Then what Arthur said hit him and he turned around. "Winner gets a kiss? I'm assuming on the lips?" Arthur nodded and Merlin smiled. "It's a bet. But no more cheating."

Arthur made some sort of noise as Merlin walked after his ball with a grin. "I am _not _cheating! Just because you're not doing as well as I am is no excuse to accuse me of cheating."

Merlin just laughed and just like that, the awkwardness after the sort of kiss dissipated and the game continued.

It was nearing nine o'clock when they finally reached the eighteenth hole, which was basically just hit your ball up the hill so the workers didn't have to fetch the balls themselves. Merlin absolutely hated this one; it was worse than all the other hills on the course. So when the family in front of them moved off, Merlin picked up his ball, walked up the hill and tossed it in. Arthur burst out laughing.

"You don't even want to try?"

"God, no. I would never be able to get the damn ball up there and you would get annoyed enough in the end to just toss it in for me."

Arthur shook his head and moved over to putt his own up the hill, still laughing. It took him four tries to get it up the hill. Merlin pointed out, "It would've taken me at least three times as many tries to do that."

"I doubt that. You're better than you think." They exited the course and started down the path back to the building to return their clubs.

"I still lost."

"Not by much." Arthur grinned at him. "But, yeah. You still lost."

"Gee thanks for sparing my ego," Merlin muttered but he still grinned back. Now this was what mini-golf should be like. Not like with Will. Then again, Will managed to suck the fun out of everything while they were dating, always jumping on him whenever he even glanced at someone.

Arthur bumped his shoulder. "So when do I get my victory kiss?"

Merlin snorted. "Later, if you're nice to me." He jokingly added, "My feelings are easily bruised."

"You can't pull out of a bet; it's bad luck." Arthur said as they rounded the front of the building. Merlin saw that Percival was still working. Arthur grabbed Merlin's club and plunked them down on the counter in front of his friend.

Percival looked up. "Hey, so who won?"

Merlin said, with a wry smile, "Do you have to ask? His big grin ought to give it away."

"I not only won the game, but I won the bet as well."

"Only because you cheated."

"I did not cheat!"

Merlin laughed as Arthur looked indignant. He'd hoped to get a rise out of him. It was fun.

"Percival, do I cheat?" Arthur turned to his friend for help.

Percival winked at Merlin who smiled back. "Well, now, I don't know, mate. I wasn't watching the game, as much as I would have liked to. But, if you did cheat, you have to make it up to Merlin. Cheating on a first date; not cool, Arthur."

They both laughed as Arthur repeated, "I didn't cheat!" Arthur glared at Merlin and Merlin couldn't help it as he doubled over in a fit of laughter. After a moment, Arthur relented. "Alright, fine. How do I make it up to you, Merlin? Even though I didn't cheat, by the way."

"Deny it all you want, mate," Percival said.

Arthur glared at him. "You, shut up. You're already dead for telling everyone we were here."

"Come on, Arthur," Merlin managed to say. "You owe me ice cream and you're paying."

"Fine." Arthur shot one last glare at Percival then grabbed Merlin's hand and pulled him out onto the street.


	14. Chapter 14

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

They walked down to The Ice Box ice cream parlor a couple blocks away. Arthur held Merlin's hand the whole time and he didn't know if Arthur had forgotten he was still holding it or not but he liked it. "I had fun, by the way. Despite the fact that I was horrible."

"You did great. Especially with my help," Arthur said with a wink.

Merlin blushed as he remembered Arthur's "help" on that one hole. "Thanks for that, by the way."

"No problem," Arthur said as they reached the ice cream parlor.

Merlin had never been to The Ice Box before. Usually he and his friends bought ice cream at the store. It was a small building with two windows to order at and a bulletin board with the options and prices hanging between the windows. There were benches and tables scattered throughout what appeared to be an abandoned parking lot. There were quite a few people scattered around, mostly at the tables.

"So," Arthur said, "what do you want? And don't worry about the price; I'm paying, remember?"

"I remember. Your penance for cheating."

"How long are you going to go on with that?"

"Does it bother you that much?" Merlin was genuinely worried.

Arthur squeezed his hand. "I'm just messing you with you. It's fine, I know you're just teasing." Merlin relaxed and Arthur added, "You still owe me that kiss, though."

The server shouted, "Next!" They stepped up. There were about five people in front of them and Merlin still hadn't decided what he wanted.

"What are you getting?" he asked Arthur. Maybe that would help him make up his mind.

"Um, I think I'll get a turtle sundae. You decide what you want yet?"

Merlin shrugged and they moved up in the line. He went back to staring at the board. "A hot fudge sundae with whipped cream. No peanuts."

"Okay. Should I order a drink, too? You want a Pepsi?" Arthur asked as the woman in front of them paid and moved to the side to wait for her ice cream. Merlin nodded as they stepped up to the window.

"Go ahead whenever you're ready," the teenaged girl at the window said, her pencil poised over the pad of paper.

"Okay," Arthur said. "I would like one turtle sundae, one hot fudge sundae with whipped cream but no peanuts, and a medium Pepsi. That's it."

"For here or to go?" Her gum popped. The woman's ice cream came and she left.

Arthur glanced at Merlin. Merlin leaned forward and said, "For here."

The girl counted up the prices and gave them their total. Arthur let go of Merlin's hand to pull his wallet out. As he paid, Merlin's ice cream arrived. He moved to the side, taking a bite of his ice cream as Arthur waited for his. A moment later both the pop and the turtle sundae arrived and they walked over to sit on a bench.

Arthur set the pop on the ground and scooted over until his leg hit Merlin's. Merlin raised an eyebrow and Arthur took a bit of his turtle sundae, presumably to avoid responding. Merlin grinned and did the same. They were silent for a bit while they ate, occasionally taking a drink of the pop.

"So," Merlin ventured as he neared the end of his ice cream, "how often have you talked about me to your friends?"

Arthur coughed and he hastily took a drink. "He's exaggerating. Morgana's the one who hasn't been able to let it go."

"Yeah, she seemed like she already knew everything I was telling her when we talked at her party," Merlin mused as he licked hot fudge off the back of his spoon. He caught Arthur's eyes on him out of the corner of his eye.

"Yeah, well, she did some digging and found out your friends were friends with some people who work with us and since it is impossible for her to leave anything alone, Morgana meddled. It's what she excels in." Arthur shook his head but then turned Merlin's question back on him. "Your friend Lance sure seemed to know we'd met before the party."

It was Merlin's turn to cough. "Um, well, I might've mentioned our first meeting to Gwaine and he told Lance and neither of them were able to let it go. Although that might have been more because of who you are rather than the fact that I finally found someone." He blushed. "Not that that's why I went out with you. I didn't know who you were before they told me and I honestly don't care that you're rich and famous, although, I suppose that could be a little troublesome, what with being on the news all the time and all the pressure your father's put on you and-"

"Merlin?" Arthur interrupted him.

"Yeah?"

"You're babbling."

Merlin winced. "Sorry. I do that when I get nervous."

Arthur nodded knowingly. "I've noticed." He leaned closer and added in a quieter voice, "I'm glad to hear that you don't care about all that. I don't have to worry about living up to expectations and can just be myself."

"You can always be yourself with me. You being rich is just a nice side-effect."

Arthur laughed. "Thanks. Nice to know you're not a gold-digger."

"No, that would be those people at the party who don't know you like I do."

"And you know me well enough to say that?" Arthur asked.

Merlin shrugged. "I'd like to think so. I know you haven't had the easiest life, and probably a crappy childhood, but you're amazing and handsome and smart and I like you." He ducked his head, his hair falling forward to cover his eyes as he tried to hide his blush. He really shouldn't have said that, not on a first date. But it was true, so maybe it wouldn't blow up on him.

When Arthur didn't say anything, Merlin ventured to look over at him. He was surprised to find Arthur just staring at him, a strange expression on his face. "What?"

"No one's ever said anything like that to me before. I'm still processing. Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Is Will always an ass? Or was it just me?"

"Oh! A real question." Arthur laughed at him. "That's a real question. Um, well, I think I told you before that Will and I dated?"

"Yeah, but it didn't seem like you two were, how shall I put this, particularly happy together."

"We were when it started." Merlin shook his head at the memories. "Will and I had a great time but during university he would freak if anyone showed any interest in me. I got pretty annoyed with it after a while and broke up with him. I had to find a new coffee shop for a few months."

Arthur interrupted, "I think I remember you saying that before but I didn't know if it was because of a guy or a girl."

"Yeah, we decided to try to be friends again but he really doesn't like it when I date. That's why I'm so grateful to have Gwaine and Lance for friends; they've been a great help in things like that. Will also has this thing against people who were born rich; he thinks they're all entitled assholes and refuses to change his thinking. You would not believe how bad it would have been that night at the cinema if Gwaine hadn't warned him to keep his mouth shut."

"So, it was just me," Arthur said as he dropped his spoon into his empty bowl.

Merlin laughed. "In a very roundabout explanation, yeah, I suppose it was you. But he can be an ass at times."

"Well, then, I'll just have to change his opinion about us rich assholes." Arthur winked at him.

"I'd like that." Merlin set his own spoon down.

Arthur leaned over, picked up the pop and gave it a shake. The ice cubes rattled against each other. Merlin said, "I think it's empty, Arthur."

Arthur gave him a look. "Yeah, I guessed that for myself. You all done?" Merlin nodded and they both got up to throw out their trash. Arthur glanced at him. "Where'd you park?"

Merlin told him, "I don't have a car. I rode the bus here."

"You want a ride? My car's in the mini-golf lot," Arthur offered.

"That'd be great, thanks."

"No problem." Arthur grabbed his hand again as they walked back to the golf course, twining his fingers through Merlin's.

It was a silent walk to Arthur's car, but it was a comfortable silence. Merlin didn't feel like he had to say anything to fill the silence and, honestly, he was just enjoying the feel of his hand in Arthur's. Like their kiss the week before, this felt right.

When they reached the parking lot, Merlin asked, "What kind of car should I look out for?"

Arthur said, "It's a red Honda accord. Should be in one of these first couple aisles."

They walked through two and a half aisles before Merlin spotted it. "There it is!" he pointed.

"Ah!" Arthur said. "Thanks."

They walked over and Arthur used the automatic unlocking button on his key ring then opened the passenger side door for Merlin. He blushed. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

Arthur shrugged. "It's good manners on a date. I'm trying to make a good impression."

Merlin got in and looked up at him. "I think it's too late to try."

Arthur pretended to look worried. "Does that mean it's too late because I've already made a good impression or because it's not going to happen?"

Merlin flashed a flirtatious smile. "The former, definitely."

Arthur's worried expression disappeared. "Good." Arthur closed Merlin's door then walked around to climb in behind the steering wheel. As they drove out, Arthur glanced at Merlin and said, "I'm going to need directions to your place."

"Take a left at the next corner," Merlin directed.

As they turned, Arthur leaned over and flicked the radio on; the sounds of The Who filled the car. "I usually listen to the sports channels or rock. You can pick the station, if you want."

Merlin shrugged. "Rock's fine. I'm not picky about what I listen to."

Two songs later and Merlin discovered that Arthur had a really nice singing voice to listen to. He continued to direct Arthur to his place while they sang. They did harmonize rather well, too. And Merlin knew he didn't have a horrible singing voice; Gwaine was always after him to sing with him when they went out to drink.

Forty-five minutes later, Arthur pulled to a stop in front of Merlin's place and put the car in park. He turned to Merlin. "So, I had fun tonight."

"Me too."

"You know," Arthur started, sounding a little embarrassed, "Morgana thought it was a stupid idea so I'm glad it turned out alright."

"No, it was great. And I'd never been to The Ice Box before."

"No?"

Merlin shook his head.

"Well, it's got great ice cream."

"I agree." Merlin unbuckled his seatbelt, making to get out. He reached for the door handle then turned back with a faint grin. "You're okay with me opening my door by myself, right?"

Arthur grinned back. "I suppose it's alright. But there is a price."

Merlin raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"You still owe me a kiss for losing the bet." Arthur's eyes twinkled with anticipation.

Merlin leaned forward and Arthur met him halfway. Their lips touched and he felt that spark again. There was no denying it. Arthur pulled back, looked into his eyes for a moment then dove back in to kiss him a couple more times. They both pulled back after that and Arthur said, "Goodnight, Merlin."

"Goodnight, Arthur." Merlin got out of the car.

Arthur called after him, "You get to pick the next place, okay?"

Merlin ducked his head down to look at him. "Deal. I had a lot of fun. Night."

"Me too. Night."

Merlin closed the car door and walked up to his building. He glanced back as he stepped inside and saw Arthur just now pulling away. He smiled to himself as he headed for the lift. He couldn't wait for their next date. And the one after that. Merlin had a feeling they'd be going on quite a few.


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Merlin sat on the floor of his living room one Tuesday evening after working at the bookshop, a notebook open in his lap, pencil in hand, and several papers and books strewn around him on the floor as he did his homework. He was working on an analysis of the escapism found in Romantics works and the differences between how the authors portrayed it. He stopped writing and leaned forward to flip through his textbook in search of a quote that would support his claim. He was just starting to write the quote down when his mobile rang.

"Shit, where did I put my phone?" Merlin looked around, frowning. He lifted notes and books, finally finding it hiding underneath his Milton anthology. It was just about to roll into voicemail when he answered it. "Hello?"

"Lose track of your phone again, dear?" His mother's voice greeted him and he set his work aside to lean against the couch.

"Mum! How have you been?"

"I'm doing alright. Nicholas and Wendy have been helping out with the yard work and I've gotten more hours at the supermarket." Merlin smiled. It was good to know Nick and Wendy were still helping his mum out; they'd been great neighbors even back when he was still living in Ealdor.

"That's great, Mum. It's not tiring you out, though, is it? Working extra hours?" He worried about her.

"I'm fine, dear. But I'd like to hear about how you're doing. I haven't heard from you in a few weeks; is everything okay?" Hunith asked concernedly.

Merlin frowned. He realized he hadn't talked to his mother since he'd started dating Arthur. "Oh, god, I'm so sorry I haven't called. I've just been rather busy lately."

"School?"

"Among other things."

"Oh?"

Merlin smiled. "I've met someone, Mum."

"Who is it? Tell me all about him."

"His name's Arthur Pendragon and he's great, Mum, he really is."

Hunith paused before responding. "Aren't the Pendragons a really powerful family in London?"

"Yes." He wondered where his mum was going with this.

"Well," she said, "you know how I worry about you, Merlin. I just want to make sure that you're not rushing into things; that you won't get hurt."

Merlin sighed. "Mum, he's nothing like Will or Ethan. I promise. He's a good guy, and he likes me. I like him too."

"I hope you're right about him, for your sake. I just don't want to see you like you were after Ethan broke your heart. That's not something a mother likes to see and I just want to prevent that," Hunith told him.

"I know, Mum," Merlin replied, exasperated. He was tired of going over this every time he told his mother about his boyfriend. "Arthur's different. He won't hurt me."

Hunith reluctantly gave in. "Okay, Merlin. But you know I won't truly believe that until I meet him for myself."

"I know." He really was grateful that she was so concerned about him; most of the people he knew didn't have parents that worried like his mother did. "But I don't think I'm quite ready to bring him home, yet. I don't want to scare him off. We've only been together a couple weeks and I don't think it's "meet the parents" time."

"Okay. Whenever you're ready, dear, I'd love to meet him."

"Thanks, Mum."

"Now," Hunith said, her tone changing, "tell me how you two met and where he took you on your first date."

Merlin settled in for a long and happy conversation about his relationship with Arthur. He could always tell his mother everything and he was glad that hadn't changed. She would still worry because that was what she did and he wouldn't have it any other way. His only worry now would be whenever he introduced Arthur to his mother. Hopefully, they would get on well enough that he wouldn't have a panic attack. She liked Will, but really didn't like Ethan and he didn't listen and it ended horribly. But, as he'd told his mum, Arthur was different. "We actually ran into each other on the tube. I was on time for once, believe it or not…"

Arthur was trying very hard not to yell at the client on the opposite side of his desk but it was hard. "Look, Julian, you agreed to the contract weeks ago. I can't change it, no matter how many times you tell me I have to."

"I refuse to work for that son-of-a-bitch! Either change the contract or find someone else to do the bloody job!"

"I can't do that."

"You have to."

"It's not that simple!" Arthur was losing it. "You cannot just back out of a contract like this! There's procedure and legal issues and your contract specifically states that you have to give me at least one week to find a new electrician to replace you."

"I don't care about your damn procedure! I want out, and I want out now!" Julian's face was turning red. He glared at Arthur.

Arthur stood up and put his hands on his desk. "You agreed to all of this before. What happened between you and Mason between then and now to make you break your contract like this?"

Julian shook his head and crossed his arms. "That's between me and the bastard. You let me out of the contract, Arthur. I'm not going back to work for him on Monday."

"That gives me two days to find someone else! That's impossible!" Arthur lost his temper and threw his hands in the air. "You will continue to work on that damn building until I find a new electrician. Then, and only then, will I let you out of your contract."

"Two days, Pendragon. That's all you get." Julian spun on his heel and left the office.

Arthur shouted after him, "Expect to get a call from our attorney!" He slumped down into his chair and put his head in his hands. His father was going to kill him for messing this up. Nobody was going to accept a job on a Friday. It was impossible to find someone that fast! It had taken him long enough to find someone even remotely willing to work for Mason Pharmaceuticals and now that had fallen through. _Looks like I'll be having a working lunch again. Great._

His mobile buzzed in his pocket. He fished it out and checked the caller ID, determined not to talk to anyone related to work at the moment. The screen flashed Merlin's name and he immediately answered it. "Hey, love, what's up?"

"I'm on break between classes, Gwaine's annoying me and I decided I'd rather talk to you," Merlin's cheerful voice replied. It was a balm to Arthur's growing headache.

"You have no idea how wonderful it is to hear your voice."

"Bad day at work?" Merlin asked sympathetically.

Arthur groaned and Merlin laughed. "Why can't people just get along?"

"What happened?"

"The one electrician who could work with one of our most picky clients just quit and I have to find a new one in two days, which is downright impossible even if it weren't the beginning of the weekend."

"Ouch. Sorry I can't help."

Arthur sighed. "Don't worry about it. I just needed to rant for a minute. So how's your day going?"

"Eh, it's school. There is something I wanted to talk to you about, but I was going to wait til dinner tomorrow."

"What is it? I could seriously use a distraction right now."

"Lance and I were talking yesterday and he mentioned that since we're dating and now that he was dating Gwen, they thought that maybe we could go on a double date one day? I didn't give him an answer; said I had to talk to you about it first. What do you think? I'm not really sure what we could do as a group but maybe you had an idea?"

Arthur thought about it for a minute. Gwen was really happy she'd met Merlin's friend and Morgana approved of the guy. He did get along rather well with Lance when he hung out with Merlin and his friends and it was always fun to tease Gwen. "I think it's a good idea. I like Lance and I think you'd get on great with Gwen if you spent more time with her."

Merlin asked, "So, should I tell them yes?"

Arthur nodded to himself. "Yeah, sounds like fun. As for what to do…how do you feel about bowling?"

"I'm pretty good. Better than mini-golf, anyway."

Arthur smiled at the reminder of their first date from almost a month and a half ago. "Cool. We'll team up. You and me versus Gwen and Lance. If they're okay with bowling, I mean."

"I'm sure Lance will love the idea. I'll call him later and we'll work out a date."

"Works for me."

Merlin suddenly said, "Sorry, I have to go. Gwaine just reminded me I have a meeting with Doctor Pierce in ten minutes. If I don't talk to you before then, I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Definitely. And thanks for letting me rant earlier."

Merlin said cheerfully, "No problem. What else is a boyfriend for?"

Arthur said thoughtfully, "Well, I can think of a few other things…"

"Arthur!"

Arthur laughed. "I'll see you tomorrow, Merlin."

"Bye, Arthur."

"Bye, love." They hung up and Arthur felt so much better than he had twenty minutes earlier. Not for the first time, Arthur thought about how lucky he was to have Merlin for his boyfriend.

* * *

**So sorry it took forever to update this story. I've been busy with school projects and a complicated sort-romantic relationship with a guy and, I don't understand men. Anyway, hope you enjoy the late chapter**


	16. Chapter 16

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Arthur pulled up to the curb in front of Merlin's building at around 7:30 p.m. the following Wednesday and put his car in park. He grabbed his mobile and sent off a quick text to Merlin telling him he was out front. He got an answering text almost instantly: _Be right down._ He leaned back against the headrest and closed his eyes to wait. A date with Merlin was exactly what he needed after the pressure of the last few days at work. Ten minutes later, he heard the car door open and opened his eyes.

Merlin grinned at him as he got settled, pulling his black jacket so that it sat better underneath the seatbelt, then leaned over to kiss Arthur briefly. "Hey, I don't think I took _that_ long that you had to take a nap."

Arthur shifted gears and drove off. "I wasn't taking a nap. I was resting my eyes."

"Okay, even I know that's a lame excuse." Merlin leaned forward and flicked the radio on, switching channels until he landed on a classic rock station. It had kind of become their unofficial driving music after that first date.

"Whatever. I didn't bring a book or anything."

"Oh! I love this song!" Merlin said, leaning forward to turn the music up. Arthur couldn't help but smile as Merlin started tapping his foot to a song that Arthur had never heard of.

Half an hour later, Arthur pulled into the parking lot of Bowling Thunder. They walked inside and Arthur was pleased to see that it wasn't super crowded so they wouldn't have any trouble getting a lane right away. Merlin nudged him with his elbow and pointed off to the left, near the arcade. "There's Lance and Gwen."

They made their way over to their friends. Gwen wore jeans and a white-and-blue patterned blouse while Lance wore jeans and a plain blue polo. Their jackets were in a pile on the floor next to Gwen's purse. "Hey, guys. Sorry we're a little late," Arthur said, giving Gwen a quick hug. Lance slapped Merlin on the shoulder then shook Arthur's hand.

Gwen reassured them, "You're not late, Arthur. Lance and I got here early to make sure we got a lane. Once you two pay, we can start. We've reserved lane 21."

"Cool. Be right back then." Arthur and Merlin walked over to the desk, paid for their games and shoe rental then headed over to lane 21 with Lance and Gwen.

The two couples swapped shoes, dumping their jackets and non-bowling shoes on the chairs. Arthur made sure his and Merlin's things ended up on the same chair, careful not to put his sneakers on his leather jacket. They checked the weight of a few of the bowling balls on the rack behind their lane, chose the one that weighed the best and set them in the rack on the lane. Gwen's was, of course, pink and white swirls. Lance's was black, Arthur's a dark green and Merlin's a light blue with white swirls. Arthur didn't really bother checking to see how much they all weighed, more focused on how well Merlin's green plaid shirt fit him.

He refocused as Merlin said, "So, who's going to go first?"

Lance replied, "I think we decided we were going teams, couple vs. couple, so maybe we should alternate. One from each."

Arthur nodded. "Fair enough. So how about I'll go first, then Gwen, Merlin and Lance?" He looked at the others, received nods and then put their names in the computer, trying hard not to put silly pet names or anything of the like. It may have been the time for him and Merlin, but Lance and Gwen certainly weren't there yet. That done, he hit the start key then grabbed his ball and stepped up to the line. The others sat down to watch, Merlin on one side, Gwen and Lance on the other. The pins were set. Arthur took a breath, settled his grip, walked forward and sent the ball rolling down the center of the lane. He watched it, hoping it wouldn't suddenly veer off course; they had a tendency to do that, he'd found out the hard way.

_Crash!_ The ball slammed into the pins, knocking over six, seven of them. He turned around to wait by the rack for his ball while the downed pins were swept away.

"Great job, Arthur!" Gwen called from the seats. Arthur glanced up, gave her a smile which widened as he saw Merlin grinning at him. His ball rolled in, he grabbed it and stepped back up.

_Okay Arthur. Three more pins, all relatively on the same side._ He threw. It started off on the opposite side but slowly arced over and ended up knocking down the remaining pins.

"Yes!" he exclaimed and walked back to sit next to Merlin as Gwen walked forward.

Lance leaned forward to watch Gwen bowl. She knocked down about half the pins on her first throw. She flashed a smile at them as she waited. Her next bowl knocked down a couple more, leaving Arthur in the lead as Merlin stepped up.

Arthur's eyes slid down to stare at Merlin's ass as he stepped up and threw his ball. He noticed that Merlin was rather graceful when he bowled. It was always nice to learn new things about your boyfriend, he reflected. Then his mouth dropped open as Merlin got a strike on his first throw.

Merlin turned back around, a pleased smile on his face.

Gwen said, "Congrats, Merlin!"

"Thanks," he said shyly. Lance gave him a high five as they passed.

"Nice job, mate."

Merlin nodded and reclaimed his seat. Arthur leaned over to kiss him on the cheek. "I didn't know you were _that _good, Merlin. Excellent bowl."

Merlin blushed. "Thanks. But I think I just got lucky."

"Nonsense, mate," Lance said as he returned for his ball. Arthur realized he'd missed Lance's first throw and glanced up at the computer screen to see that he had knocked down eight pins on his first try.

Arthur got back up for his turn, congratulating Lance on knocking the last two pins over, and took his turn. The game went on in a similar fashion until their first game ended. Merlin had gotten the highest score, Arthur was surprised to see, with 164. There were almost fifteen points between first and second place, which was a tie between Lance and Arthur of 148. Gwen, of course, was then in last place, with 120.

Merlin ducked his head, apparently uncomfortable with the praise. Arthur thought it was adorable the way he kept insisting it was all luck, especially when he looked so pleased with himself when he got a strike.

"I'm going to go grab a hot dog. Anyone else want anything since I'm going?" Arthur asked, getting to his feet.

Merlin looked up at him. "Grab me one too? And a drink. You know what I like."

Arthur smiled. "Sure. Lance, Gwen, you two want anything?"

Gwen said, "Actually, a hot dog sounds really good right now. Could you also bring back a bag of crisps and a Mountain Dew?"

"Of course. Lance?"

Lance stood up. "Actually, I think I'll come with you, Arthur. I'll just get the same and help carry."

"I'd appreciate that." They walked off together. Arthur said, "So how have you been? It's been a while since we hung out as a group, hasn't it?"

Lance nodded. "Yeah, I'm doing fine. Little tired, but Gwen's been great. Been a little busy at the station. We've lost a few people so I've been working more."

"Yeah, Merlin said this was the only night you had off all week." They reached the concession stand and headed for the open lane to order. Arthur was happy to see that Lance insisted on paying for his and Gwen's food. So far as Arthur was concerned, Lance was shaping up to be an acceptable boyfriend for Gwen. He knew Morgana liked him, but he liked to form his own opinion.

They returned to their dates with containers holding hot dogs, bags of crisps, and pop. The second game started up with the same order as before, only this time they were more relaxed amongst each other. Merlin and Lance were tied for first place by the fifth frame, with Arthur close behind. Gwen wasn't that far behind Arthur, though.

Merlin came back over after his turn but Arthur stopped him before he could sit down. He grabbed Merlin's waist and pulled him down to sit on his lap. Merlin struggled a little; he always did. Sometimes Arthur thought that it was because he didn't want to make it easy for him but he always gave in in the end.

Arthur tightened his grip and Merlin suddenly leaned back against him, dropping his head on Arthur's shoulder. Arthur gave a satisfied smile and kissed him.

Merlin mumbled, "You do know you're going to have to let me up after Lance bowls."

Arthur frowned. "The only flaw in my otherwise flawless plan." Merlin laughed, making their bodies shake a little. Arthur kissed him again and said, "We'll fix that after I take my turn."

The game continued, Arthur continually pulling Merlin onto his lap whenever he could. He was still amazed at how perfectly they fit together and how easily they got on. Everything about Merlin made him happy and they felt right together. He knew it was different, how quickly they'd fallen for each other, but he wouldn't have it any other way. And he knew Merlin felt the same way from the looks he caught Merlin giving him when he thought Arthur wasn't paying attention. They hadn't actually said I love you yet but Arthur wanted to ask Merlin to move in with him. Maybe it was rushing, but so far Merlin hadn't given him any indication that they were moving too fast.

Arthur stole glances at Gwen and Lance every now and then and tried to hide a smile as they danced around each other. He knew they had just recently started dating, and were nowhere near the level of intimacy that he and Merlin were at, but it was fun to watch them blush every time they brushed up against each other.

Gwen had just turned back from finishing up her eighth frame but she slipped on the slick surface of the lane. Lance managed to get to Gwen in time to catch her before she hit the floor and slipped an arm around her waist to help her back to her seat. Arthur and Merlin exchanged knowing looks as Lance held onto Gwen the whole time, settling her down in a chair. Arthur got up to take his turn, Merlin giving him a quick kiss before turning to ask Gwen if she was alright.

She gave them all a brief smile. "I'm fine, thanks, Merlin."

Lance frowned. "Let me just make sure you didn't sprain your ankle or anything, Gwen. Never hurts to be careful."

Merlin shot Arthur a wink as he bent over to pick up his ball. "Keep your weight off it for a bit, Gwen," Arthur called over to her.

Lance nodded. "It's not sprained that I can tell, but that's still a good idea." He lifted her foot, settling himself underneath it, and lowered it onto their jackets. Arthur smiled. _Smooth move, there, mate._ He got a spare for his ninth frame so wouldn't know his current score til he bowled again next frame. Merlin took his turn, then Lance, but when it was Gwen's turn they all made sure she didn't hurt herself again. She blushed, but took it in stride.

Merlin won game two as well with 160, but Arthur was only eight points behind him this time. When Merlin said he was pretty good, Arthur didn't know that that meant Merlin was actually amazing at bowling. Arthur didn't lose at much, but he found he really didn't mind since he got to see Merlin blush every time they complimented him. It was adorable. He didn't bother to check Lance's and Gwen's scores, preoccupied as he was with cuddling with Merlin.

He glanced at his watch as they waited for the third game to start up. _Wow,_ he thought. _It's already a quarter to eleven. Time really does fly when you're having fun._ He chuckled to himself at his use of the cliché.

Merlin asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Arthur shook his head. "Just thinking."

Merlin sat up and looked at him. "What about?"

He struggled to find something to say other than what he was actually thinking about because that was lame. His eyes landed on Lance and Gwen holding hands and talking. "Oh, nothing, really. Just thinking about how Lance and Gwen have only just now started holding hands when I've been holding you pretty much since we got here."

Merlin glanced over at the other two and smiled. "Lance is, like, a super gentleman. I'm surprised he's moved this fast." He leaned back against Arthur, adding, "They'll probably go out on at least two more dates before he kisses her for the first time, though."

"Slow mover," Arthur commented.

He felt Merlin shrug. "He's a knight, you know? He really embodies all that old rules of chivalry and all that stuff. What time is it, by the way?"

Arthur shifted Merlin so he could check his watch. "Almost 11. This'll probably be our last game of the night."

"That's cool. Maybe we should switch up the order, this time."

"How so?"

"You and me first, then Lance and Gwen."

Arthur teased, "You just want more time to cuddle."

Merlin grinned up at him and winked. "Maybe just a little."

Arthur laughed loudly and it caught the other couple's attention.

"Hey, what's so funny over there?" Gwen called over.

"Merlin wants to change the bowling order for our last game, if you're okay with that," Arthur called back.

"Depends," Lance said. "What's it changing to?"

"Me, Merlin, Gwen, you."

Lance glanced at Gwen. "You okay with that?"

She shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me."

Lance called back, "Fine with us. Means you're up first, Arthur."

"Forgot about that part."

Merlin teased, "So much for your flawless plan, there, love."

Arthur dumped Merlin onto the seat next to him and he landed with a squawk. "Oi! What was that for?" Merlin demanded.

Arthur grinned as he stepped up to the keyboard. "Did it hurt?"

"Yes! These seats are hard, if you haven't noticed."

Arthur turned back and winked at him. "I'll kiss it better later."

Lance rolled his eyes and said, "Jeez, Gwen, look at these lovebirds."

Gwen laughed. "I'm just happy to see Arthur's finally found someone who makes him happy. Merlin's good for him."

"Hey," Arthur said, stepping up to grab his ball. "I am right here and I can hear you over the music, you know."

"I know," Gwen said cheerfully.

Rolling his eyes, Arthur stepped up to start their final game of the night. Surprisingly, he got a strike on his first throw. He headed back to his chair, ruffling Merlin's hair as they passed. He laughed as Merlin squawked and fixed his hair. As soon as Merlin's turn had ended, he returned to sitting on Arthur's lap. Arthur happily wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's waist and nuzzled his neck. Merlin shivered.

"Stop that," Merlin ordered. Arthur did it again and Merlin swatted his chest. "That tickles!"

"Good to know," Arthur said and Merlin stopped him from doing it again by touching their lips together. Next thing he knew, it was his turn to bowl again and Merlin was sliding over to the chair next to them.

Half an hour later, the four of them were slipping back into their own shoes. "I always hate wearing shoes somebody else wore," Gwen commented as they cleaned up their lane. "You never know if they actually clean them."

Arthur said, "I'm pretty sure they get cleaned more often than you think, Gwen." He put his jacket on as Merlin and Lance threw out the leftover food and containers.

"I certainly hope so, although I will be throwing my socks in the wash when I get home." She made a face as she gingerly picked up her borrowed shoes.

Arthur shook his head as they joined Lance and Merlin up on the carpet behind the lanes. As they headed for the desk, Arthur reached out and snagged Merlin around the waist, pulling him close. Merlin switched his shoes to his left hand and slipped his own arm around Arthur's waist. Arthur smiled, his heart racing still from their snogging during the last game.

They dropped their shoes at the desk and walked outside. The sounds of the alley cut off instantly as the door closed behind them and Arthur let out a soft breath at the sudden silence. A cool wind blew and he was grateful he'd thought to bring his leather jacket. The four of them stopped on the sidewalk.

Lance asked, "Where'd you park, Arthur?"

"I got a spot near the driveway. You?"

"Off to the right, near the entrance to the arcade. There were more cars earlier," Lance replied.

Gwen suddenly said, "I'd say that tonight's double date was a success; how about you?"

Merlin nodded. "Definitely. It was fun and great to get to know you better, Gwen."

She smiled back at him. "You too, Merlin. It's been too long since Arthur met someone we've all liked as well as you. I can see how much he cares for you."

Merlin blushed. "Well, it's mutual."

"I can tell." Gwen gave Arthur a knowing look and added, "Well, I suppose we should go, since I have a tour in the morning and I know for sure Arthur has to go to work."

Arthur sighed. "Did you have to remind me? Father's already planning on killing me for the blow-up on the Mason contract."

"It'll be fine," Merlin reassured him. "And if it gets to be too much, you can always ring me at work. I'm sure Freya won't mind if I ask her to cover for a few minutes while we talk."

"Thanks." Arthur turned back to Lance and Gwen. "It was nice hanging out with you, Lance. I can tell you'll take good care of Gwen."

"I'll certainly do my best, but just be sure you remember what we talked about before." Arthur suddenly remembered the "talk" Lance and Gwaine had given him about not hurting Merlin and nodded seriously, ignoring the confused look Merlin shot him.

"Well, I guess we'll be going, then," Arthur said, ending the double date. "We'll have to do this again sometime."

Gwen nodded. "Sure. Goodnight, Arthur, Merlin."

"Night, Gwen. See you tomorrow, Lance," Merlin replied.

Lance nodded. "Goodnight, both of you."

Lance and Gwen went off to the right while Merlin and Arthur headed for the driveway to their left, arms still around each other's waists.

"It was a lot of fun," Merlin commented as they walked to Arthur's car.

"Yeah, it was."

Merlin glanced at him as they came to a stop in front of the car. "You sound surprised."

Arthur shrugged. "Well, you made it sound like Lance was a bit of a stick in the mud at times and I'll admit I don't know him as well as you but I can happily say that I like him, and I approve of him for Gwen." He fished his keys out of his jacket pocket and unlocked the doors.

"I suppose, out of fairness, Lance can be that way sometimes." Merlin opened his door and added, "I am glad you like him, though."

Arthur met his eyes over the roof. "He's your friend, Merlin, and I want to like your friends and have them like me. Just like I want my friends to like you and you to like them."

They got in and Arthur drove off, headed back to Merlin's building. The clock on the dash read almost 12:30 in the morning by the time Arthur pulled up to the building. He steeled himself for when he would ask Merlin to move in with him, but his heart still raced nervously. The car rolled to a stop and Merlin unbuckled his seatbelt. Arthur leaned over and kissed him, feeling Merlin lean into it.

Merlin pulled back first, saying, "I should go. We both have to work tomorrow. Or is it today?" He laughed a little and Arthur couldn't help but shake his head a little, smiling. "Night, Arthur."

"Night, Merlin," Arthur said softly. This was his chance; why wasn't he saying anything? Merlin opened the door, already starting to swivel around to get out. Arthur suddenly grabbed his arm and Merlin turned back around, startled.

"What is it?"

Now that he had his attention, Arthur wasn't quite sure how to say it. Merlin was starting to look confused and a little concerned the longer he hesitated. Finally, it just kind of spilled out: "Willyoumoveinwithme?"

Merlin blinked. "I'm sorry, could you repeat that?"

Arthur took a steadying breath. _Why the hell was this so hard? It's not like I haven't done this before._ "Will you move in with me?" _There; that sounded more normal._

He held his breath as he waited for Merlin's reply, vaguely realizing he was still a hold on Merlin's arm.

Merlin stared at him for a second then a smile spread across his face and Arthur relaxed slightly. He wouldn't relax fully until he actually heard a yes. He was startled, therefore, when Merlin suddenly scooted back into his seat until there were just inches between them and kissed him thoroughly, holding him tight. Arthur let go of Merlin's arm and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, pulling him closer.

At some point, Arthur realized he hadn't heard an answer and pulled back. They were both panting a little. "You know," Arthur managed to say, "You never actually said yes or no."

Merlin kissed him briefly then looked at him, eyes shining with love. "Yes. Of course it's a yes. Do I really have to say it?"

Arthur beamed at him and they kissed again.

When they pulled apart to breathe, Merlin reluctantly said, "I'd ask you to come in but it is late and we both have to work in a few hours."

"Unfortunately. At least we won't have to worry about that anymore." He leaned his forehead against Merlin's and took a chance, whispering, "I love you, Merlin."

Merlin's thumb brushed his cheek, followed by a soft, "I love you, too, Arthur."

They kissed again, gentler this time. Merlin did actually get out of the car after this one. Before he shut the door, Arthur said, "You busy this weekend?"

Merlin shook his head. "No. I'm off this weekend. You?"

"I'm free. Want me to help you pack Saturday?"

"That'd be great. Mind if I invite my friends over to help carry?"

"Only if you don't mind me inviting mine. It'll be like one big party with all of us there."

"I'd love it. Night, Arthur."

"Night, Merlin."

Merlin closed the door and Arthur watched him walk up the path to the front door and disappear inside. He leaned back in his seat, closing his eyes and breathing a sigh of relief. Tonight had gone way better than he'd thought. Double dates weren't usually his thing, but this one turned out well enough. And Merlin had agreed to move in with him, _and _hadn't freaked when Arthur said the three words first. In fact, he hadn't really paused at all in responding the same way.

He drove back to his flat, making plans in his head for incorporating Merlin's things into his place. Morgana would be ecstatic at this development in their relationship. Just like he was feeling, as a matter of fact. Arthur leaned forward and turned the radio to "their station" just in time to hear one of their favorite oldie songs, "You're the Voice_._" He smiled. A perfect song to end a perfect night.


	17. Chapter 17

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Arthur slammed the phone back in its cradle and pillowed his head on his arms. So many projects; did they really need them all? He got that his father pretty much wanted to rule the corporate world but did he have to dump everything on his only son? Because apparently he couldn't give Morgana anything too strenuous to do. Arthur envied his sister her ability to wrap their father around her little finger and get anything she wanted while Arthur got stuck with the weight of the world on his shoulders. Thank god for Leon and Elyan, and Vivian. That girl was seriously a godsend sometimes. He had no idea how she did it but she managed to get people to agree to things that he'd been arguing with them for days, sometimes weeks, to get them to agree to and she could do it in a couple hours on the phone with them.

When the phone started ringing again for the eighth time in the hour, Arthur groaned into his desk. He lifted his head to see who was calling. His father. Just great. That was exactly what he needed now. Not. Taking a quick breath, he answered the phone as professionally as he was currently able.

"Pendragon Inc., this is Arthur Pendragon speaking. How can I help you?"

"Arthur, what's going on? Morgana says Julian isn't on the payroll anywhere and there's a request for a legal counsel with him. Where is the park contract? And what happened to the partnership with Andrews? They should've been on my desk yesterday." Uther rattled off the questions like they were demands.

Arthur's headache was rapidly turning into a migraine. "Julian and Mason had some sort of dispute; I wasn't privy to the details. He demanded to be let out of his contract and gave me two days before he stopped showing up to work on the building. I warned him he couldn't do that as his contract stated we required a week's notice but he refused to listen. The legal counsel is the result of him storming out of my office two weeks ago."

"You upset a client, Arthur?" Uther's voice was flatly disapproving. "That is unacceptable."

Arthur took a breath. "I did nothing of the sort. Julian and I had a discussion about his contract, he was unhappy, and legal action had to be taken. It was all done by the book. And Mason is happy with the new electrician I was lucky to find on such short notice."

There was a pause, and then his father said, "I suppose that's alright, then. I'm still going to look into it."

_Yeah, well, I figured, _Arthur thought. _Can't trust me to deal with an upset client on my own._

"Moving on, where is the park contract? It was supposed to have been finalized and put into action at four. It's after three, Arthur."

"It is currently sitting down in the finance department, waiting to have the budget fully approved before it can be sent off to the owners. They've had a bit of a software issue so it's going to take another day or so before they can get to it."

Uther huffed. "Make sure that contract is seen to first thing after the issue has been taken care of, Arthur."

"Yes, Father."

"I don't want our clients thinking we'll let them down."

"Yes, Father."

"And the partnership with Andrews? That was supposed to have been finalized as well."

"Andrews has offered a rebuttal to our most recent offer and now wants half partnership, an office in the main building, access to all of our ongoing projects as well as the ability to change them as he likes, with final approval on your part of course, and, finally, for his eldest son to marry Morgana." Arthur knew what his father's response would be to that last request. It would be about the same as his was.

"Absolutely not," Uther said instantly. "I don't want that ruffian anywhere near my daughter and I'll make sure he knows that."

"And the rest?" Arthur inquired, pinching the bridge of his nose to try and stave off the migraine rapidly growing.

"Forward the official rebuttal to me in an email. I'll deal with Andrews. If he contacts you, send him to me. Understood?"

"Understood, Father." _Click._ Arthur stared at the suddenly dead phone in his hand and shook his head. Never bothers with goodbyes, his father. He set the phone in the cradle and started banging his head against his desk.

"That's a good way to lose brain cells, you know," a familiar voice said, interrupting him.

Arthur's head snapped up to see Merlin leaning against his office door, a fond smile on his face. His hands were shoved into the pouch of his black hoodie and his hair was wondrously windswept. He looked sexy as hell. Arthur jumped up out of his chair. "Merlin!" he exclaimed, unbelievably happy to see him, and hurriedly moved around his desk to pull Merlin into a kiss. Merlin happily responded, tangling his fingers in Arthur's hair.

They pulled apart and Arthur asked, "What are you doing here? Not that I'm not happy to see you; I am. But don't you have class?"

"Professor got sick and cancelled class for this afternoon. Since I was free, I decided to surprise you. Need help with anything?"

Arthur glanced at his computer and the piles of paperwork then turned back to Merlin. "You want to go get some coffee? The break room's a couple floors below."

"Sure."

Arthur grabbed his hand and pulled him down the hall, stopping briefly at Leon's office. "Hey, Leon, if anyone needs me, I'm going for coffee."

"No problem, Arthur." Leon smiled. "Hi, Merlin. I see it worked out well."

Merlin stepped further into the office, keeping Arthur from heading to the lift. Then what Leon said hit him as Merlin said, "Hey, Leon. Yeah, it worked great, thanks for your help."

Arthur looked from his boyfriend to his best mate, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. "Hang on a sec. What are you two talking about? What worked out great and what did Leon help you with?"

"It's the same thing, love," Merlin informed him. Arthur scowled at him.

Merlin and Leon exchanged grins, annoying Arthur further. Why wouldn't they just tell him? What were they hiding? Merlin said, "Relax, Arthur. Leon just helped me sneak in so I could surprise you. He knew you were having a rough day-could apparently hear it down the hall-so when I called him and told him I wanted to stop by, he was all for it."

Arthur turned to Leon. _Oh. _All he could think of to say to his best mate was a very heartfelt, "Thank you."

Leon grinned. "You're welcome. Now go on and take a break from being Arthur Pendragon for a few minutes."

Arthur pulled Merlin out of the door and back down the hall to the lift. He hit the down button then snagged Merlin's belt loops to pull him closer while they waited. Merlin settled his arms around Arthur's neck and said, "I rather like you all dressed up in a suit. I haven't seen it in a while; you're usually gone when I wake up."

"You're lucky you get to sleep in. I wish I could." He flashed Merlin a teasing smile and added, "Of course, you could always wake up earlier and then you would see me in a suit more."

"Or you could just wear one more often," Merlin offered as the lift arrived.

Arthur snorted as they let go of each other long enough to step in. He hated wearing suits. In fact, he often wished he could show up to work wearing jeans. It's not like he actually saw clients face to face; he dealt with them mainly through phone conversations and email. He hit the button for the floor two below his.

The door slid shut with a soft _ding_ and Arthur proceeded to push Merlin against the wall of the lift and kiss him soundly.

The soft _ding_ recalled them to their surroundings and they quickly stepped out of the lift. Arthur was suddenly nervous about having Merlin there, in his work, where everyone would see and know about their relationship. The one thing he worried about was his father getting wind of it because that was a fight that he was in no way prepared to have at the moment.

Merlin must have noticed because he slipped his hand into Arthur's and squeezed. Arthur looked over at him and he said softly, "It'll be okay, Arthur. You're out to most of them, right?" When Arthur could only nod, Merlin added, "Then don't worry."

Merlin was right. These were his coworkers and he was a Pendragon. Taking a deep breath, he squeezed Merlin's hand back and led the way down the hall to the left.

The voices floating into the hallway alerted them to the busyness of the break room. Arthur took another quick breath before stepping in, grateful for Merlin's hand in his. It was a comfort to have him close. The conversations stopped the instant they stepped inside.

Arthur sent a swift glance around the room, checking to see who was there, and was surprised and grateful to see his sister in the room.

Despite the sudden butterflies, Arthur summoned up his courage and announced to the dozen or so workers, "Hi everyone. This is Merlin, my boyfriend. So, please, be nice to him."

There was a chorus of hellos and nice to meet yous. Merlin smiled shyly and said, "Hello everyone. Nice to meet all of you, as well."

Morgana suddenly made her way through the crowd of people now returning to their previous conversations and pulled Merlin into a hug. Arthur stared at them as Merlin returned her hug.

"It's great to finally see you here, Merlin! I've been wondering when you would visit," Morgana said, throwing Arthur a pointed look. He rolled his eyes.

Merlin grinned. "Arthur wants me all to himself, but I figured a surprise visit was in order. Leon helped out so that no one knew."

"I am right here, you know," Arthur retorted.

Merlin kissed him on the cheek. "I know. Say, Morgana, is the coffee any good here or should we make a run to Starbucks?"

She laughed and hooked her arm through Merlin's, pulling both of them over to the counter. "We get imported coffee here. None of that cheap stuff. Father and Arthur practically mainline caffeine some days."

As Merlin and Morgana chatted and poured coffee for them, Arthur thought about how quickly Morgana and Leon had taken to Merlin. He was incredibly grateful for that; it meant he for sure had two people on his side for when he finally gathered the courage to tell his father about Merlin. It would be a shock for his father, for sure, when Morgana sided with Arthur for once. It was rare enough that they agreed on anything, but Arthur knew that when it counted, his sister was there for him when he needed her. And when she needed him, she knew he would be there. It was a… complicated… relationship they had.

A cup was shoved into his hand and his thoughts ground to a halt as he looked up into Merlin's twinkling eyes. Merlin took a sip of his coffee, shoving his free hand into his hoodie pouch.

"Don't worry. It's just how you like it," Merlin told him. "And nobody's staring."

_Well, that was surprising,_ Arthur thought as he took a sip of his coffee. It was perfect. He took a surreptitious look around and realized it was true. Nobody was staring and if they were talking about it, he couldn't hear them.

"So, Morgana, how are you and Leon doing?" Merlin asked.

"Oh, we're doing great! Leon's amazing and Arthur's finally gotten over his uncomfortableness of us dating. At least," she added with a glance at him, "I think he has."

"It's still weird, but I'm okay with it." Arthur smiled at his younger sister, adding, "Until he hurts you, that is. Then I'll kill him."

Morgana and Merlin both laughed at his threat. Merlin said in an aside to Morgana, "On our first date, he threatened to kill Percival for telling his friends we were there."

A couple people glanced over as her laughter rang out. As she caught her breath, she gasped, "Oh, god, Arthur, you didn't!"

"It was supposed to be private," he retorted. "Apparently you're not the only one who doesn't understand that particular concept."

"Was that meant for me?" Merlin asked innocently.

Arthur glared at him but it quickly changed into a fond smile. "Why can I never stay mad at you for long?"

Merlin winked. "Cause you love me."

Morgana groaned as Arthur leaned over to kiss Merlin's nose. "You two are seriously adorable."

"Much like you and Leon were when you first started dating," Arthur shot back.

She stuck her tongue out at him, he responded in the same and Merlin shook his head at their antics. "See, times like this I wish I'd had a sibling growing up. Other times I'm glad I didn't."

Morgana bumped Arthur's shoulder. "It's true that we fight a lot, but Arthur really is a great brother and I can count on him."

"Yeah, unlike Father," Arthur muttered. "But I do love my sister, Merlin, don't get me wrong. But siblings are meant to annoy each other as much as they're meant to protect each other."

Morgana looked at the clock on the wall. "I should be getting back to work but I want to stop by and say hi to Leon before I do. I'll see you two later?"

"Actually," Arthur said after getting a nod from Merlin, "we'll head up with you. I've still got tons of paperwork to finish."

The three of them headed back down the lift with coffees in hand. It was still there from when Arthur and Merlin had used it and they got right in. Morgana hit the floor button as Arthur pulled Merlin close. Arthur was still so happy to have him there that he felt the need to touch him to make sure he wasn't dreaming. Merlin sure didn't seem to mind, leaning against him as they rode up. Morgana just smirked at them from across the lift; Arthur ignored it.

When they reached Arthur's floor, Morgana walked out, throwing over her shoulder, "A lift isn't exactly the best place for a make-out session, by the way, dear brother."

He blushed but managed to retort, "And you would know from experience, wouldn't you?"

She looked back as she stopped in front of Leon's office. "Yes, but that's not what I meant. I meant that it's awkward for someone to enter the lift while people are snogging."

"Again, you've very obviously experienced this yourself."

"Do you two ever get along for more than two minutes," Merlin suddenly asked.

They were now standing with Morgana in front of Leon's office. Leon stepped up and slipped an arm around Morgana's shoulders. "No, Merlin. They don't. You can either keep up, occasionally throwing in your own insults and teases, or you keep quiet and let them annoy each other."

"I resent that!" Arthur said.

Leon raised an eyebrow. "It's true, mate."

Arthur sighed and pulled Merlin down the hall to his office, ignoring the laughs from his friend and sister behind them.

Merlin said softly, "You okay?"

Arthur glanced back at him. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Merlin raised an eyebrow and Arthur continued, "It's still weird to see them together, like I said before, but I've known Leon for years and we're always messing with each other. I've just been super busy and my father's upset with me over something that I had no control over. It'll be solved in a few days, though. I'm fine, Merlin, really."

"If you're sure," Merlin replied, but Arthur thought he didn't sound convinced.

He shoved his door closed behind them and set his coffee on his desk before turning back to face Merlin. Hesitantly, he asked, "How…how long are you staying?"

Merlin replied, "As long as you want me to. I don't have anything else to do today since class was cancelled. I don't have to work til tomorrow and I can put my homework off for another day."

Arthur wrapped his arms around him, his hands looping around Merlin's waist and said, "You're staying until I get off."

Merlin kissed his nose, slipping his hands around Arthur's neck, and said softly, "I'd love to."

"Aw," Morgana said from the doorway and they both looked over to see her and Leon standing in the doorway. "Aren't they cute, Leon?"

"Adorable," Leon said dryly.

Arthur glared at her then leaned over to shut the door in their faces. When did they get there and how did he not hear them open the door? Merlin just laughed at his reaction and pulled away.

"Go back to work, love. I'll just explore your office. You have any good books in here or should I grab a folder?" Merlin started to wander over to his bookcase on the far wall.

"I should have some books you can read over there, interspersed with all the boring books that my father thought I should have," Arthur replied as he sat back down and returned to his work.

Five minutes later, Arthur had papers strewn across his desk with his coffee in a small corner. He glanced up briefly to see that Merlin had found a novel he'd forgotten he'd had tucked away on a shelf and was curled up in the armchair opposite him, reading. He smiled at Merlin, totally absorbed in his book, and went back to work himself with a considerably lighter mood than he had had before the surprise visit.


	18. Chapter 18

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to the BBC show Merlin, the characters, plots, or actors/actresses.**

* * *

Arthur walked into their flat after work a week later to find Merlin in the kitchen on the phone with someone. Merlin looked up at his entrance and mouthed "my mother" and Arthur nodded. He pointed to their bedroom, indicating he was going to change out of his suit into something more comfortable. Merlin nodded and returned to his mobile as Arthur ducked out of the room. He wondered what Merlin's mum wanted_. It must be nice to have a parent who actually wanted to talk to you about something other than work or how disappointed they were in you_, Arthur thought as he undid his tie and started to take his suit off. It was surprising how much cleaner his flat suddenly was now that Merlin was living with him. Admittedly, some things remained the same like the dirty dishes and the messy bedroom but the rest was much cleaner. Morgana would be thrilled; and then she would tease him over it.

A few minutes later, he returned to the main room wearing jeans and a blue t-shirt and found Merlin still on the phone. He was in the kitchen, his back to Arthur. He suddenly got a devious idea to bother Merlin; he probably wouldn't like it. Arthur grinned and padded in his bare feet over to him, sliding his arms around Merlin's waist from behind. Picking the side that didn't have the phone, Arthur started kissing his neck, smiling as he heard Merlin's breathing catch and he stuttered a little. _This was a fun idea._

"No, Mum, I'm fine. Really." Merlin tried to break away but Arthur tightened his grip. _Nuh uh, not getting away from me that easily. _Merlin turned back to his mother with a sigh. "Arthur just walked in…yeah, okay. I'll ask him."

Merlin lowered his mobile, covering the speaker with his hand, and spun around in Arthur's arms to face him.

Arthur grinned. "So what are you asking me?"

Merlin said hesitantly, "Mum wants to have dinner with us and get to know you. Are you up for that or not? Because it's totally fine if you don't want to yet; I'll understand."

Arthur only had to think for a second before deciding to agree. He'd been wondering when they'd hit that stage, but there was no way in hell Uther was meeting Merlin any time soon. "I'd love to meet your mum. When did she want to have dinner?"

Merlin lifted his phone back to his ear. "Mum? He said yeah. Did you have a time or…Saturday evening?" Merlin raised a questioning eyebrow at him and Arthur nodded. They didn't have any plans. "Yeah, that's fine, Mum. We'll see you there. Bye." He hung up and dropped his mobile on the counter.

"So we have plans for Saturday, now," Arthur said thoughtfully. Not how they usually spent their weekends but meeting Merlin's mother was much more important than movies and ice cream or hitting the club with their friends.

Merlin stepped close enough to wrap his arms around Arthur's shoulders, dropped his head on one and mumbled, "Oh, I really hope this doesn't go badly."

Arthur kissed the top of his head. "It'll be fine, Merlin. I'll be my naturally charming self and your mum will love me."

Merlin snorted. "Naturally charming self? Not exaggerating at all, are we?"

But Arthur heard the teasing tone in his voice and retorted, "Charming enough to get you, aren't I? And the only one of your friends who doesn't like me is Will, so I'd say I'm extremely charming."

Merlin laughed at him. Arthur inwardly rejoiced at how easily he'd been able to lift Merlin's mood. They stepped apart and Arthur took Merlin's hand to lead him towards their bedroom.

Merlin asked, "What about dinner?"

Arthur shot him a do-you-think-I-care kind of look and Merlin shut up. Once inside, Arthur shut the door, pushed Merlin down onto the bed and kissed him. When they came up for air, he said softly, "Dinner can wait."

* * *

"Merlin, would you hurry up!" Merlin heard Arthur call from the living room. He sounded annoyed with him.

Merlin stared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He knew he was close to freaking out, but, come on, his mother was meeting his boyfriend for the first time. He had a right to be nervous!

"_Mer_lin! We're going to be late if you spend any more time in there and I'd really rather not be late. It's a bad first impression! Besides, you already look amazing!"

Merlin frowned and reached up to brush his hair out of his face. That stubborn lock just dropped back down into place and he sighed. He closed his eyes briefly, took a deep breath and whispered to his reflection in the mirror, "You can do this, Merlin. It's not like you haven't taken dates to meet your mum before."

He opened the door and stepped out.

Arthur threw his hands in the air. "Finally! Thought I was going to have to drag you out of there. Come on." He threw Merlin's jacket at him and then proceeded to drag him out of their flat and into the hall. As Arthur paused to lock the door behind them, Merlin managed to get his arms into the sleeves before Arthur was dragging him down the hall to the lift.

"Did you have to drag me?" he managed to ask.

Arthur glanced back at him as he hit the button for the lobby. "I wouldn't have had to if you hadn't suddenly decided to spend twenty minutes staring at yourself in the bathroom mirror."

"It was not that long!"

"Fine," Arthur relented. "Maybe just ten minutes."

Merlin scowled at him and he reached out to pull Merlin close.

Arthur asked softly, "Are you okay? Really?"

Was he okay? Merlin really wasn't sure. "I'm freaking out," he said honestly. "And I really don't know why because it's my mum and she loves everyone and it's not like I haven't brought other people home to meet her but there's something different this time and I really really want her to like you and-"

Arthur cut him off by pressing their lips together. Arthur pulled away and said, "Okay, deep breath." When Merlin had complied, Arthur continued, "I know you're nervous about introducing us and I'm nervous about meeting her. I want her to like me just as much as you do, okay? So just relax and remember one thing."

The lift doors opened and Merlin asked, "What's that?"

Arthur kissed his nose and said, "I love you."

Merlin's heart skipped a beat, like it always did whenever Arthur said that. He said, "I love you, too," as they stepped out of the building. And, oddly enough, he did feel better. Merlin took another deep breath and said, "Okay, I can do this."

"Yes, you can, love. Now get in the car," Arthur said jokingly and opened Merlin's door. Merlin shook his head as he climbed in. He was always doing that, but instead of finding it annoying like Gwaine did when Merlin brought it up, Merlin found it sweet. Not many guys were gentlemen and it was nice to see that Arthur was one of them. If he did stuff like that in front of his mother, she would love him for sure. He hoped.

Forty-five minutes later, Arthur pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant Merlin's mother had picked. It wasn't a five-star restaurant but it wasn't McDonald's either. He guessed it was more like an Eat'n Park kind of thing. They parked and got out, Arthur slipping his hand into Merlin's and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Merlin cast one last agonizing look over their outfits, hoping they hadn't over- or underdone it.

He had chosen black dress pants with a black sweater over a dark blue dress shirt while Arthur was wearing a dark gray three-piece suit. It was definitely more upscale than what he was wearing but it told him that Arthur was serious about impressing his mother. Plus, he looked damn good in a suit.

They walked inside and up to the waiter where Arthur told him, "We have a reservation for three, under Pendragon?"

The waiter looked down at his book then looked back up with a smile. "Right this way, sirs. I believe the third member of your party is already here."

"Thank you," Arthur said as they followed him through the tables.

Merlin hissed, "She's here already! Oh, no, what if she's been waiting a long time?"

Arthur hissed back, "She can't have been here long; we're only a couple minutes late."

The waiter stopped and indicated a table with one person sitting at it. "Here we are. Someone will be along soon to take your orders."

They nodded, he left and Merlin stepped forward. "Hi, Mum. Sorry we're late; it's my fault."

She stood up and pulled him into a tight hug. "It's so good to see you, dear. And don't worry; I haven't been here more than a minute or two myself."

"See?" Arthur said, raising an eyebrow at him over his mum's shoulder. "I told you not to worry."

Hunith let go of Merlin and turned to Arthur, her expression appraising. "And you must be Arthur. My Merlin's told me so much about you."

Merlin bit his lip as his mother studied his boyfriend, eyes darting between the two. It was the worst few seconds of his life before Arthur held out his hand for her to shake and said, "It's an honor to finally meet you, Mrs. Emrys. Merlin's lucky to have a mother who looks out for him like you do."

Hunith shook his hand. "Call me Hunith; everyone does. And thank you, Arthur. It's wonderful to finally meet you as well. Shall we sit?" Merlin breathed a sigh of relief. Arthur held her chair for her and winked at Merlin as they sat down themselves. "Why thank you, Arthur. You're such a gentleman."

"You're welcome, Hunith."

They took a moment to look through the menus before starting a conversation. Their waitress came and took their orders: Arthur and Merlin got steak and Hunith ordered grilled chicken. She left only to come back a moment later to drop off their drinks before leaving again.

Merlin was finally starting to relax while they ordered because he had brought a couple people to meet his mum before and he knew how the interrogation would go. He always called it an interrogation in his head, despite what his mum said. She would ask Arthur about himself, his family, education, career, and ending with asking about Arthur's perspective on his relationship with Merlin and what he wanted out of it in the future. It was always the same so he wasn't super worried.

He reached for his glass and took a drink of his Pepsi. Hunith turned to Arthur then and asked, "So how long have you been sleeping with my son?"

Arthur's mouth dropped open a little in surprise. Merlin spluttered, choked on his drink, and started coughing as he set the glass back down on the table. Arthur leaned over to thump him on the back until he could breathe again. Gasping a little, Merlin threw Arthur a grateful look, which he returned with a smile, and Merlin turned to look across the table at his mother. "Mum! What the hell?"

Hunith frowned. "Language, dear. And it is a valid question; after all, you two are living together, are you not?" She raised a questioning eyebrow.

Merlin couldn't come up with an intelligible response, stuttering, "Uh, um, well, we, uh…" he trailed off, not sure how to answer that.

Arthur came to his rescue, although not in the way he'd hoped. "To your first question, Hunith, a couple months. As to your second question, that's a yes as well. We've been living together in my flat for about the same amount of time." Hunith nodded, still frowning.

Merlin could only stare at his boyfriend, his mouth open a little. Did he seriously just tell my mother that? What happened to privacy? And what the hell, Mum? She's never asked that of any of my other boyfriends before!

Arthur caught him staring and said, "The point of this is so that your mother can get to know me, feel comfortable about our relationship, right?" When Merlin nodded, he continued, "Then I'm not going to lie to her. That does me no good." He turned back to Hunith then, on his right, and said, "Ask away, Hunith. I'll tell you whatever you want to know."

She studied him. "We'll see about that. Tell me about your family, Arthur."

Merlin sighed. _Finally; a safe question._ Arthur said, "It's not much, just me, my dad and my half-sister Morgana, who's a year younger than me."

"Half-sister?"

"We share a father."

"What about your mothers?" Hunith asked, curious.

Arthur looked down at the table and when he spoke, his voice was quiet and full of sadness. "Dead. Both of them. A long time ago."

Hunith reached out to place her hand over his comfortingly. "I'm sorry, dear. Merlin never had to deal with that, not having known his father."

Arthur managed a smile. "I'm like Merlin, though. I never knew my mother. She died in childbirth. I had nannies until Dad married Morgana's mother."

"I'm so sorry about your mother, Arthur, but at least you did have a one, for a little while." Hunith smiled at him and Merlin thought it very lucky that their food arrived at that exact moment. It gave Arthur the chance to regain control of his emotions and his mother time to redirect her questioning. Hopefully she'd learned enough about his family to move on. Merlin picked at his food, eating in small bites as Hunith continued with a few more questions about Arthur's relationship with his father and sister then moved on to education. Now that she was back on her usual track, Merlin was feeling better about it.

Having been apparently satisfied by how Arthur's schooling went, Hunith then threw another surprise. "So, Arthur, tell me. When did find out that you were gay and what were your previous relationships like?"

Merlin spluttered some more while Arthur looked rather disconcerted and didn't answer for a moment. Then, "Um, well, Hunith, I discovered I was gay back in high school. I came out to my sister who was really supportive." Hunith nodded, gesturing for him to go on and ignoring the look Merlin was giving her to stop. "My dad doesn't quite understand that my being gay isn't something that I'll just grow out of one day which is why I'm grateful for Morgana. Dad ignores it and actually has a list of acceptable young women I could one day marry. My friends all know, though, and they're fine with it. They've actually tried to set me up a few times." Arthur laughed a little at that and Hunith nodded approvingly.

"Merlin, dear, stop giving me that look. I have every right to know about what kind of boyfriend Arthur is, especially when my only son is concerned." To Arthur, Hunith said, "Parents don't usually understand right away. Give him time; he'll come round. In the meantime, I'm glad you have people in your life who accept you for who you are. If you'll excuse me, I have to ask about previous boyfriends."

Merlin was suddenly incredibly grateful that he wasn't eating or drinking anything at that moment. His mum was determined to embarrass him, he was sure of it. He was sorely tempted to just run and damn the consequences but Arthur shot him a look that clearly said _relax_. Merlin took a quick breath, closed his eyes briefly, and then gave Arthur a small smile. Arthur was with him, loved him. That was all that mattered.

Arthur hesitated a moment more then said, "I've dated a few guys, some long-term and some not. Usually, things ended because of my father and the demands on my time because of my position and heritage. But no previous relationship has felt as…as right…as being with Merlin does. I feel like we were meant to be together." Merlin smiled at that. He felt the same way; had felt that way since their first kiss. Arthur suddenly leaned over and kissed him.

When he pulled away, Hunith said softly, "Good answer, Arthur."

The conversation continued, Hunith asking about his work and his plans for the future. Apparently Arthur's answers were satisfactory because Merlin caught his mother nodding approvingly and smiling a lot more. It was almost the end of the meal by the time he felt able to fully relax. Arthur and Merlin split the bill, refusing to let his mother pay.

They walked out of the restaurant, Merlin holding onto Arthur's hand, and stopped on the sidewalk to await the verdict. He felt nervous again even if he did think that it went well. Hunith pulled him into a hug and murmured, "I like him. Despite my reservations when you first mentioned you were dating a Pendragon. He seems like a good man. But I will still worry."

They pulled apart and Merlin smiled at his mother, relieved. "Thanks, Mum."

She then pulled Arthur into a hug. Merlin hid a smile at his surprise. He could see her whispering something in Arthur's ear and after a moment, Arthur stepped back and slid an arm around Merlin's waist, a grin on his face.

Hunith looked the two of them over then announced, "I approve. Take care of my boy, Arthur, or you'll learn just what a mother will do to protect her child."

"Mum," Merlin moaned.

Arthur nodded solemnly. "I will do my utmost best, Hunith. Thank you. I enjoyed meeting you."

"And I you," she returned. "Good night, boys." She headed for her car and they headed for Arthur's.

Merlin said softly, almost to himself, "That was beyond nerve-wracking."

Arthur laughed. "It was worth it. I like your mum. She reminds me of Morgana."

"Because that's a good thing," Merlin mumbled, making Arthur laugh again as he unlocked the car doors.

As Arthur went around to the other side of the car, Merlin thought about his mother's reaction to Arthur and realized that it was crazy, how much a person can have such an impact on your heart, no matter how little you've known someone. He'd known Arthur a few months, had fallen hard and fast and couldn't imagine his life without Arthur in it. Honestly, sometimes Merlin couldn't remember what he'd done before that fateful run-in on the underground.

Arthur got in and glanced at him. "What are you thinking about?"

Merlin shrugged, trying to blow it off. Arthur knew him so well, sometimes he thought Arthur knew him better than he knew himself. "Just marveling at much a part of my life you are."

Arthur raised an eyebrow. "That's a good thing, right?"

Merlin laughed a little. _What a silly question._ But he didn't say that. Instead, he leaned over and kissed Arthur, answering him without words. When they finally came up for air, Arthur said with a smile, "I'll take that as a yes."

Merlin laughed again. "Let's just go home." Arthur drove off and Merlin started fiddling with the radio, as usual. Home was with Arthur, Merlin realized. It was what had been missing in his life before. Home was the flat he shared with his love, home was wherever he and Arthur were together and he wouldn't have it any other way.

* * *

**I hope you all are still enjoying the story. Here's a little sneak peek of what you get next time, when the trouble begins:**

Uther clasped his hands on the desk in front of him and Arthur braced himself for the news. "Helios had one stipulation for the merger and after much negotiation and thought, I've decided to accept it. We are going to cement our newfound relationship with a marriage, between you and Helios' eldest daughter Sophia."

Arthur could only stare at him, blinking several times in rapid succession. His brain froze. He couldn't possibly have said what Arthur thought he'd just said. He wouldn't. All he could bring himself to say was, "What?"

"You will marry Sophia. It's all been settled."

"N-no, no I-I can't." Arthur felt like he couldn't get his brain to start functioning again. "I-I can't marry Sophia, Dad. I'm already in a relationship."

Uther leaned back in his chair, crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. "End it."


End file.
